Note: This is an archived version of a former website from 2012. To see newer content, including sitelen sitelen lessons, please go to jonathangabel.com

Balloon Boy Interview

The nine pages that make up this piece are a translation of the interview by Wolf Blitzer of the “Balloon Boy” family. I was interested in seeing how loose “TV speak” would translate into a toki pona, and then further into sitelen blocks.

Also of note is the earlier style of question mark — this was later altered to serve as an exclamation point, and the question mark kept the backwards ‘s’ but is now rounded.

Here is the toki pona translation used in the drawings:

Panel 1

jan Muwawa: tenpo pimeja ni la, toki e weka pi sike con. jan lili li ken lon insa, li ken tawa moli ona tan insa tomo tawa. jan lawa li lukin tawa sewi en tawa anpa li wile lukin e jan lili Palakon. jan mute lon ma Mewika li lukin e ni kin. Tenpo ilo sike tu wan la, pali ike li pini pona.

kulupu mama ona ale li lon. o kama pona jan lukin pi ma Mewika en ma ale. mi jan Muwawa, jan Lawi Lawa li weka.

Panel 2

mi tawa ma tomo utala Kolinsa, ma Kolowato, tawa kulupu mama pi pilin pona. sina lukin e kulupu mama pi lukin pona. ona li lon. jan Wiko en jan Majumi Jine li lon. jan lili tu wan pi ona li lon. jan lili Palakon li tenpo sike luka wan li poka mama mije sina. jan Patota li tenpo sike luka luka, jan Kiju li tenpo sike luka tu wan. pona tawa sina ale.

Panel 3

mi mute ale li pilin pona tan ni: jan Palakon li pona. tenpo suno ni la mi mute lon ma li pilin ike, li pilin ona li lon sike kon. tenpo lili la, sike kon li tawa ike, li lon sewi pi ma Kolowato. pona la, ona li lon weka lon insa poka insa tomo sina.

jan Wiko, o toki pona tawa mi mute e ni: seme li kama tawa jan Palakon? tenpo suno ni la, ale li kama pakala kin tan seme?

Panel 4

jan Wiko Jine, mama mije pi jan Palakon: pona a, mi mute li pali e pali sona. mi wile pali tan ni: tenpo suno pi mi en meli mi li kama. jan lili li pali kin. mi mute li pali e sike kon. ona li lukin sama tomo tawa pi ma sike ante. mi mute li wan e supa. jan lili li kule e ona. pali sona mi li tawa ilo sin pi kulupu mama mi. mi wile pali e tomo tawa sewi sin.

Panel 5

jan Patopa: pona. ona li kama tawa mi. mi jo e ale ni lon ilo lukin awen. jan Palakon li kama tawa mi li toki e ni… “mi tawa ike tawa insa sike kon.” mi lukin e ni: ona li tawa insa. taso mi lukin ala e ni: sina tawa e—tawa e mute…

Panel 6

jan Majumi: mi mute li sona ale e ni: sike kon, tomo tawa, li tawa sewi mute tan seme? ona li wile awen lon sewi lili. mi mute li pilin aa! jan Wiko en mi li toki utala e ni: mi awen ala awen pona e sike kon? mi mute li lon toki li sona weka e tomo tawa. tenpo ni la jan Patosa li toki e “jan Palakon li lon insa, jan Palakon li lon insa”. mi mute li ken kute ala. taso mi kama sona e seme? tenpo ni la mi mute li kama sona e seme li lon.

Panel 7

jan Wiko: jan Palakon o, ona li seme: mi mute li toki e nimi sina. tempo la sina kute ala kute?

jan Palakon: kute.

jan Wiko: kute?

jan Majumi: kute ala?

jan Wiko: sina kama ala tan seme?

jan Palakon: sina toki e ni: a a, mi mute li pali e ni tawa jan wile lukin.

Panel 8

jan Wiko: pona a, mi wile pini e ni. mi ken lukin e tawa sina. tenpo pini la, sina seme e jan lawa. jan toki li lon sinpin la, mi mute li wile ala e pali lukin ni. tenpo pini la mi pilin sewi pona en anpa ike. tenpo ni la mi pilin ike tan ni: sina toki e ante li lon. pona a? mi pilin ike mute tan ni: ona lon sinpin li toki e pini. tenpo esun la mi ken pali ala e jan wile lukin. tan ni la mi mute li toki e ni: pona, mi pali. mi pilin ike tan ni: sina toki e ni. sina sona ala sona?

Balloon Boy Interview

Project: t47
Year:
Dimensions:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Add HTML attributes--more info here.

©2015 jonathan gabel . com