Klingon Translator Sought For Oregon County

The Multnomah County, Oregon Department of Human Services is looking for a Klingon interpreter in case patients arrive at an emergency room speaking that language.

Because the county is obligated to provide information in all languages, according to procurement specialist Jerry Jelusich, the office that treats approximately 60,000 mentally ill individuals wants to be prepared in case a Klingon speaker arrives. "I've got people who think they're Napoleon," he told The Oregonian.

Officials decided to include Klingon among 55 languages, which include rarely-spoken tongues such as Dari and Tongan. Jelusich said that research into Klingon grammar, syntax and vocabulary has proven that it is a real language.

County purchasing administrator Franna Hathaway said that she questioned the proposal when it first came in, but added that it would cost no money up front because the county would pay the interpreter only if he or she were actually called upon to translate Klingon.

Soon in-house training could be available. The Express & Star published an article stating that a Staffordshire University student, Rik Turner, has designed an interactive multimedia CD to teach Klingon.

Several reviewers also have revealed that Klingon is spoken in the new Eddie Murphy movie Daddy Day Care, in which a child believed to have a disorder actually proves to be speaking the Star Trek language. The film is on screens in the U.S. and Canada.

The full item on the Multnomah County proposal may be found here.

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