Conlingual Telephone

[Mr. Z]

Original post:

Since there is a natlang Polyglottal Telephone game in L&L, I thought we could one with conlangs as well. What do you think of this? Does anybody want to join?

It probably would be difficult, since most of us don't know other members' conlangs. Perhaps each person could translate the text into his conlang, and then send it to the next person along with some grammar and vocabulary needed to understand the text. This way, we could also learn other people's conlangs, while other people learn ours.

Does anybody have another suggestion, or want to join?

Following this, I was informed that such a thing existed, but not on this board. So does anyone want to do a conlang relay here?

Participants:

Risla - English > South Eresian June 1 SKIPPED
Zoris - South Eresian > Sęimaką June 6
ná'oolkiłí - Sęimaką > Náles June 10
Mr. Z - Náles > Kaxwah June 14 SKIPPED
Lyhoko Leaci - ? > Myonian June 25
Bedelato - Myonian > Benegedian June 29
qiihoskeh - Benegedian > Naisek July 3
Nortaneous - Naisek > Kannow July 7
cedh audmanh - Kannow > ? July 18
Trailsend - ? > ? July 22 SKIPPED
finlay - ? > Sentalian August 21 TRANSLATING
Zayk - Sentalian > Tlalysa August 25
Zoris - Tlalysa > English August 29

Rules:
Once you get the text, you translate it directly to your conlang. You have 4 days to complete the translation. When you do, you send the translation, along with grammar and vocabulary of your conlang needed to understand the text, to the next person on the list, as well as to me. You also send me a separate English translation of your conlang version, in a separate PM.

[Trailsend]

You are describing a conlang relay--they're quite feasible, and they happen all the time on the CONLANG list. In fact there's two going on right now.

The first person composes a text, then sends it to the next player with a lexicon and sufficient grammar notes to decipher it. Next player translates it into their own conlang and sends it on.

[Mr. Z]

Oh. Sorry. I wondered what thopse relays were. Well, never mind.

[Trailsend]

Hey, just because people have been doing them somewhere else doesn't mean you can't spearhead one here!

[Mr. Z]

I thought there was one here, but I guess I was wrong. So, does anybody want to do a relay?

[sirred]

Ow would you determine who the next person is? Are the teams preset?

[Lyhoko Leaci]

There's that "cursed relay" but I think that's more the creation of languages, rather than translating.

Sounds good, I'll need to finish the Myonian grammar (Or Zukish, or Ancaron...), but I have plenty of time now.

[Mr. Z]

Ow would you determine who the next person is? Are the teams preset?

Maybe each person could offer a language, and then other participants will say what proposed languages they want to translate from, and then I/another person will decide on the teams. I don't see why they shouldn't be preset.

There's that "cursed relay" but I think that's more the creation of languages, rather than translating.

Sounds good, I'll need to finish the Myonian grammar (Or Zukish, or Ancaron...), but I have plenty of time now.

Okay, so do you want to participate?

[finlay]

You also need two people whose job is just to translate back into English at the end (one for each team), which is perfect for anyone who doesn't have any (good enough) conlangs. Like, I didn't make any languages for a number of years, so I did that the last time there was a relay here, which must have been at least a year and a half ago and probably more than that.

[Risla]

I'd be happy to translate something into South Eresian for the relay.

[qiihoskeh]

Incidentally, the ZBB term for "Conlang Translation Relay" is "Conlingual Telephone". There've been 4 so far (I think all the threads have been pruned though) and the rules are slightly different from those used on CONLANG. I suggest June if you want to start a new one. An important factor is having a good text: not too long and without a lot of specialized vocabulary.

[finlay]

Is it? Are they? Doesn't really matter.

I pulled the PGT rules out of my arse, FWIW; they were roughly what I remembered from the last one. The fact that people have copied them is reassuring, in that I probably got them "right".

For this the rules I remember were roughly the PGT ones that I gave, except that you don't have to understand the language you're translating from because the person before you provides a grammatical outline of the language (which can be complete, or just enough to translate the text) along with the text to translate. And you send an English translation to the organiser so that people can keep track of the changes. How is this different from the conlang-l rules? (I mean I'm probably going to look them up now anyway but it's worth asking!)

The one thing I can think of is the teams thing, which was introduced because there are generally a lot of us interested.

[makvas]

I organized at least 3 conlingual telephones on this board, but it was something like three years ago since the last one. Here's all the info I have on it: http://www.kneequickie.com/kq/Conlingual_Telephone

I made the mistake of having to leave for a month during the third one, so I think the results never got posted. Sorry about that, I probably shouldn't be the one to organize it this time.

But I'll sign up with my conlang Sęimaką.

[Lyhoko Leaci]

I'll put Myonian up, and hope I have the grammar reasonably finished by the time this starts. (I am working quite fast on it though...)

[finlay]

I organized at least 3 conlingual telephones on this board, but it was something like three years ago since the last one. Here's all the info I have on it: http://www.kneequickie.com/kq/Conlingual_Telephone

It's worth noting that they certainly weren't the first or last; I participated in last year or the year before translating into English at the end, and I've participated in at least two more in the past.

I have a very old printout of a PM from Dewrad on the 31st of January 2006 with the text in his conlang Taalen, which I then translated into my conlang Panceor. It also confirms that it was called a conlang "relay" then and not a "telephone". But it's moot what you call it, really.

[Nortaneous]

I can translate into... well, I'm not sure; my conlangs are currently all developed in different areas. It'd be either Arve, Kett, or Kannow, though. Kannow would give the most interesting results, but Arve is the easiest for me to expand and Kett has the largest vocabulary.

[makvas]

Usually my conlangs are designed to have a bunch of juicy irregularities that would trip someone up, but not this time. Sęimaką is relatively (hopefully not artificially) regular, because I actually want to try and learn it myself (heh, yeah, lofty goal.) Like Lyhoko Leaci, it's not quite ready but I ought to have it ready in, say, a month? Should be fun either way.

[Trailsend]

I might be interested in participating, but I'd need to know the projected dates first. My school is weird and runs later than most, so if the relay runs during or close to my finals season I won't be able to join.

[finlay]

Mr. Z, are you going to organise it then? Because I could always do it if you think it'd be a big hassle or something. (well, the offer's there anyway)

I would be doing it into Sentalian, although I'd probably need to write it up a bit better.

I could technically do it into Panceor or Yaufulti, but they're either old or have a vocabulary of 30 words.

[Mr. Z]

Yes, I guess I'll organize it.
Sentalian seems good.

[Cedh]

I'm interested too. I can offer any of the languages linked in my sig; or possibly two of them if I'm scheduled early in one translation chain and quite late in another one.

[Bedelato]

I'd like to do one of these. It's the first time I've joined one, so yeah.

Bengedian's pretty much the only lang I have, so I guess that's what I'll be doing I've been looking for a reason to use my conlang for days now.

I have some advice: Make sure the initial text isn't well-known, so people don't know ahead of time what it's supposed to be. It'll be more fun that way

[Mr. Z]

What do you guys want to translate from?

[makvas]

I'll translate from South Eresian unless if Risla would prefer to translate from my Sęimaką.

[Lyhoko Leaci]

I don't really care, as long as I have time to get a working grammar going before its my turn.