Anyone up for a good old-fashioned translation relay? RESULTS POSTED

[Zju]

How many days will it be per round?

[Man in Space]

How many days will it be per round?

These sorts of relays typically run three or four days per round by default, though extending this timeline is usually granted if requested (and, of course, it's perfectly fine to finish sooner).

[bradrn]

How many days will it be per round?

These sorts of relays typically run three or four days per round by default, though extending this timeline is usually granted if requested (and, of course, it's perfectly fine to finish sooner).

Three to four days per round seems somewhat unrealistic to me — it could be reasonable for natlangs, but unfamiliar conlangs can be quite difficult to decipher. (Just look at the sentence guessing game for examples.)

[Man in Space]

OK, how does a week sound?

[Moose-tache]

A week sounds good. The time consuming part is learning the conlang, so the first link in the chain could maybe get a little extra time, if they feel they need it.

[Man in Space]

All right, then I'll have to cook up a relay text.

[bradrn]

A week sounds good. The time consuming part is learning the conlang, so the first link in the chain could maybe get a little extra time, if they feel they need it.

But I thought each person in the chain has to learn the previous person’s conlang, in which case as I said earlier this would need to happen for every link.

[Vilike]

In my experience for the relays at the Language Creation Conference, delay was two to three days for each link and the time-consuming part wasn't learning and deciphering the previous text, but formatting a grammar primer for the next participant including enough of the necessary bits for translating the text.

[Moose-tache]

A week sounds good. The time consuming part is learning the conlang, so the first link in the chain could maybe get a little extra time, if they feel they need it.

But I thought each person in the chain has to learn the previous person’s conlang, in which case as I said earlier this would need to happen for every link.

Yes, but if I'm link #37 and you're link #38 nothing stops me from sending you a grammar and dictionary on day one. It's not like Random Moose Conlang is some kind of trade secret.

[bradrn]

A week sounds good. The time consuming part is learning the conlang, so the first link in the chain could maybe get a little extra time, if they feel they need it.

But I thought each person in the chain has to learn the previous person’s conlang, in which case as I said earlier this would need to happen for every link.

Yes, but if I'm link #37 and you're link #38 nothing stops me from sending you a grammar and dictionary on day one. It's not like Random Moose Conlang is some kind of trade secret.

Oh, I see. On the other hand, you might need to develop some new grammar and/or lexicon in the process of translation. On the third hand, in light of Vilike’s comments, it sounds like decipherment is unlikely to be a major timesink anyway.

[Man in Space]

You’d only need a sufficient grammar to decipher the text. You don’t need to go into a huge discussion of how your language encodes the eye color of the addressee if it doesn’t come up at all.

[bradrn]

Another question about how this works: it sounds like the relay starts and finishes at the same person. How does this not undo the whole relay? Surely the final decipherment would be influenced by the original text if both are done by the same person?

[Man in Space]

Another question about how this works: it sounds like the relay starts and finishes at the same person. How does this not undo the whole relay? Surely the final decipherment would be influenced by the original text if both are done by the same person?

The original receiver may be influenced, sure, but the text is still going to get mangled through all the generations of its transfer. That's part of the fun of the exercise.

[Emily]

stumbled across the folder and paperwork from my first "real" conlang i did as a year-long school project in tenth grade (complete with a copy of the lck printed on 11/29/2000 — the ď in "caďinor" looks to be a transparent gif). if there's enough documentation and i don't cringe myself to death i might go ahead and use that one for this game. i don't think i've looked at this in probably twenty years

[Emily]

stumbled across the folder and paperwork from my first "real" conlang i did as a year-long school project in tenth grade (complete with a copy of the lck printed on 11/29/2000 — the ď in "caďinor" looks to be a transparent gif). if there's enough documentation and i don't cringe myself to death i might go ahead and use that one for this game. i don't think i've looked at this in probably twenty years

haven't looked through all of it but the first piece of actual documentation i've found is a printout of a geocities page i made, but run through a joke leetspeak "translator" and printed out in a near-illegible self-made custom font? did i turn this in?? how on earth did i ever pass a single class

[Man in Space]

If we wanted to start early, I have a small text translated and ready to go. I’d just need to write a brief grammar and lexicon covering the basics of what is mentioned in the torch.

[Moose-tache]

I'm ready if everyone still wants to start on April 1. Man in Space, do you want to edit the first post, or start a new thread? Also, it's your show, but maybe message the people involved to remind them of their place in the schedule.

[Man in Space]

I'm ready if everyone still wants to start on April 1. Man in Space, do you want to edit the first post, or start a new thread? Also, it's your show, but maybe message the people involved to remind them of their place in the schedule.

I'm still down, and those are good ideas. Thank you.

Everyone: Please let me know what language you plan on using and I will edit into the first post.

[quinterbeck]

I'm using Leima. Spent some time the other week on the grammar description so hopefully it's now up to scratch!

[bradrn]

I'm ready if everyone still wants to start on April 1. Man in Space, do you want to edit the first post, or start a new thread? Also, it's your show, but maybe message the people involved to remind them of their place in the schedule.

I'm still down, and those are good ideas. Thank you.

Everyone: Please let me know what language you plan on using and I will edit into the first post.

At this point, assuming 1 week per round, it’s looking like the end of the relay will be around my exam time, which won’t work well at all. Could I be moved to around the middle of the relay please? Apologies for being such a pain with scheduling.

As for languages… well, my most developed language is the one I’ve been calling Proto-‘Savanna’, although that will need some pretty serious work before I can translate any larger text into it. But I think I can manage it!