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"Klingon Language Interpreter" Urban Legend

By Seth Finkelstein in Media
Sun May 11, 2003 at 03:12:23 PM EST
Tags: News (all tags) 		News

Every once in a while, in order to remind myself of the quality of information typically reported, I trace down the source of a particularly ridiculous story. The "Klingon Language Interpreter" myth, which is spawning now, provides an amusing case study of the process of pack journalism.

We begin with the original story source, credited to Steve Woodward of The Oregonian, entitled "If you need someone to Klingon. . ."(sic). The need for a "Klingon interpreter" is presented as an obviously humorous purchasing request. It's a procedural joke arising from the "Klingon language". That is, on a lark, purchasing officials in Multnomah County, Oregon, decided to make sure that Klingon-language interpreters could be paid by the county, just in case there ever was a need for one. So Klingon was granted official status as a language for the purpose of hiring an interpreter, on par with obscure foreign languages.

In the original article, it's very clear nobody every seriously expected to procure the services of a Klingon interpreter:

The county would pay a Klingon interpreter only in the unlikely case he or she was actually called into service.

"We said, 'What the heck, let's throw it in,' " Jelusich says. "It doesn't cost us any money."

And the humorous aspect was emphasized:

The county's purchasing administrator, Franna Hathaway, greeted the request with initial skepticism. "I questioned it myself when it first came in. "

But, she adds, "There are some cases where we've had mental health patients where this was all they would speak."

Jelusich says that in reality, no patient has yet tried to communicate in Klingon. But the possibility that a patient could believe himself or herself to be a Klingon doesn't seem so far-fetched.

"I've got people who think they're Napoleon," he says.

And "Elvish" was suggested as the next language to be added.

So far, very funny. Very much along the lines of Klingon Google.

Then the article entered the media echo-chamber of stories-too-good-to-check (or even sanity-check). A joke about Klingon-speaking mental patients was transmuted into a story implying nonsensical bureaucratic requirements, the sort of rabble-rousing fiction one would expect to hear from ranting right-wing talk-radio.

An unbylined AP story carefully excised all context which would convey the just-joking aspect. Compare the AP version to the Oregonian version.

The AP headline, "Oregon County Seeks Klingon Interpreter" makes it sound as if a staff position is being offered. Then this impression is reinforced by using the quote "We have to provide information in all the languages our clients speak," as if it were an earnest indication of a legal requirement, not a deadpan joke. The second quote concerning "this was all they would speak", is similarly used as if it were serious. All material indicating only-kidding-folks has been deleted in the AP rewrite: "County officials said that obligates them to respond with a Klingon-English interpreter, ..."

And from there, we're off, echoing away. From Newsday or CNN to other sites, and then to uncounted blogs.

A new Urban Legend is born.

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Poll
The most reliable information is on:
o theonion.com 58%
o dailyhowler.com 0%
o popdex.com 1%
o snopes.com 18%
o kuro5hin.org 20%

Votes: 134
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"Klingon Language Interpreter" Urban Legend | 114 comments (100 topical, 14 editorial, 0 hidden)
This is funny as hell. (4.25 / 4) (#2)
by i on Sun May 11, 2003 at 07:50:08 AM EST

But you know, prophecies can be self-fulfilling. All you need is an Oregonian who speaks some Klingon, has a good sense of humour, and (optionally :) is in need of some mental services.
—
and we have a contradicton according to our assumptions and the factor theorem
I thought even the AP story was funny (4.33 / 3) (#18)
by samiam on Sun May 11, 2003 at 03:24:52 PM EST

I thought even the AP story was funny.

That said, I think it is unfortunate that someone's head is going to roll for what was, basically, a harmless joke.

It is interesting; even some linguists (such as my university's expert on syntax) feel that any man-made language is not a "real" language.

I personally think Esperanto is interesting for Linguists to study, since Esperanto was developed before modern understanding of syntax and phonology existed. For example we can look to see how this language has developed a syntax, even though Zamenhof did not really sepcify one in his language. For example, Esperanto is a SVO (generally head-final) language, something Zamenhof never specified.

- Sam

Klingon is an extinct language (3.50 / 2) (#22)
by sinistar on Sun May 11, 2003 at 05:07:07 PM EST

It died with the Romulan empire.

CNN Headline (4.83 / 6) (#25)
by stodd on Sun May 11, 2003 at 06:10:51 PM EST

CNN headline had a funny version of the story. They had the late night anchor read the entire story off the teleprompter in Klingon with subtitles.

Other "languages" available on google... (3.60 / 5) (#26)
by doormat on Sun May 11, 2003 at 06:13:05 PM EST

Bork, bork bork!

Elmer Fudd

Hacker

Pig Latin
|\
|/oormat

All well and good... (3.33 / 9) (#27)
by Skywise on Sun May 11, 2003 at 06:39:05 PM EST

Except this isn't an "urban legend".

Oregon certified the Klingon language.
Franna Hathaway said "There are some cases where we've had mental health patients where this was all they would speak."

Humorous anecdotes aside, the AP story is correct.

This isn't a "Mikey the kid who ate life cereal died of eating pop rocks" story where the incident didn't even occur.

Which makes your article, more of an urban legend than the article its based on.

Somewhat the same (3.00 / 2) (#31)
by dzimmerm on Sun May 11, 2003 at 07:41:15 PM EST

There was a story that talked about a person who claimed to be a time travelor from the future. The person used this explanation for why he was able to make a lot of money in the stock market in a short period of time.

I did a little research by going to the Securities and Exchange Commission's website.

http://www.sec.gov/

The current news from the SEC website had no mention of the person who supposidly made a killing in the stock market. I just checked the SEC website again in case the news was delayed and it still had no news about a time travelling stock trader. From all evidence the story was completely fabricated even though it circulated quite freely on various blogs for about two weeks.

dzimmerm

look, this may be true, (1.02 / 48) (#35)
by turmeric on Sun May 11, 2003 at 10:27:41 PM EST

but you are missing the larger picture.

whatever the arguments, whatever the twisting and alternative viewpoints, the fact remains that saddam hussein gassed his own people.

you sit here worrying about how things look to everyone else, is there an appearance of impropriety this or that. i am more concerned with what we actually do than with what other people say about me.

and that is why i cannot afford to forget what you obviously have thrown to the winds of the liberal media zeitgeist: that saddam hussein gassed his own people.

thank you

ROFLMFAO, this is sweet. =) (3.80 / 5) (#38)
by Kasreyn on Mon May 12, 2003 at 12:40:27 AM EST

Funniest thing I've read all week.

"There are some cases where we've had mental health patients where this was all they would speak."

Heh. Sounds like someone went to a few too many cons.

I did like how you detail the transition from "stupid thing someone thought of" to "urban legend". Interesting, and worthy of a +1 Section.


-Kasreyn


"Extenuating circumstance to be mentioned on Judgement Day:
We never asked to be born in the first place."
R.I.P. Kurt. You will be missed.
What you need... (none / 0) (#44)
by jd on Mon May 12, 2003 at 11:45:47 AM EST

...is a statute requiring that the President speak Klingon to all foreign dignatories.

This was great (3.50 / 2) (#46)
by lazloToth on Mon May 12, 2003 at 12:10:14 PM EST

It's a good example of how well-meaning condensation of information can strip away essential information, turning what's obviously a joke story into the kind of thing that will get O'Reilly on Fox News et al fired up about wasting taxpayer's money.
<p>
In general it seems people tend to over-estimate their ability to absorb firehoses worth of information, which manifests itself at work as superiors who obviously never read your e-mail or status reports wasting your time and theirs repeatedly asking stupid questions you already answered, or headhunters asking you stupid questions clearly answered in your already edited for brevity resume.
<p>
Stories like this show in many cases people are screwed before they even read the information in the first place,though, because some well meaning editor along the line pulled out some vital snippet, and before you know it there the story is on slashdot.
<p>
I dig this story-behind-the-story kind of digging.  It was one of the more interesting things to pass this way recently.

There have been a few news articles... (4.57 / 7) (#49)
by the on Mon May 12, 2003 at 12:27:26 PM EST

...over the years in which I, my friends, or my family have appeared. In almost every single case there have been significant errors in the reporting. Names incorrect. Job titles incorrect. Incorrect attribution of credit. Incorrect reporting that my company had entered into a deal with another. In one extreme case my previous company was reported in an Australian blow-our-own-trumpets newspaper article as being a successful Australian company. It was in California and had no Australian office (we have a client that does work in Oz).

If they can't get these kinds of trivial facts right then I don't trust them to report complex situations even vaguely correctly.

--
The Definite Article

Klingon is popular in Oregon (3.50 / 2) (#60)
by DanTheCat on Mon May 12, 2003 at 02:32:14 PM EST

My freshman year at the University of Oregon I worked at the Foreign Language Center. We had foreign language tapes that students could check out to listen to for class and whatnot. One of the languages we had tapes for was Klingon.

Can't say I ever had anybody check them out, but they were there.

Dan :)

<--->
the art of compromise is now the only one they teach in schools
...
the art of compromise paid for all their swimming pools

Incoming referrals. (none / 0) (#72)
by Apuleius on Mon May 12, 2003 at 06:13:49 PM EST

The Wall Street Journal is linking here, as is another high traffic site. Congradulations, Seth. Rusty, care to add the referrer log?


There is a time and a place for everything, and it's called college. (The South Park chef)
new papers. (none / 0) (#74)
by myrryr on Mon May 12, 2003 at 06:22:53 PM EST

yep, it even made it to the front page in one of the New Zealand news papers... I guess very little else was going on huh? how does the quote go... History never repeats, Historians merely repeat each other.....

Bravo--we need more clear-headedness (none / 0) (#80)
by LairBob on Mon May 12, 2003 at 09:56:42 PM EST

Efforts and attitudes like this are a vaccine for all the crap the web has come to offer. In the same spirit of level-headed objectivity, I'd also recommend Spinsanity--fund-raising Salon partnership notwithstanding, they do a remarkable job of cutting through BS from the left and the right. All too rare.

(Standard disclaimer: I have absolutely no relationship with the site, other than reading it on a sporadic basis--just thought that people who enjoy this post and the Howler would like to find more of the same.)

Cons (none / 0) (#84)
by epepke on Mon May 12, 2003 at 11:29:27 PM EST

I recognize the jocular nature of the original schtick. Civil service is incredibly dull, and civil servants do things like this to maintain their sanity.

That having been said, I used to go to science fiction conventions a lot, and I've met dozens of people I wouldn't put it past someday to wind up with a schizophrenic diagnosis speaking only Klingon.


The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head.--Terry Pratchett
goes around the World (none / 0) (#85)
by gullevek on Tue May 13, 2003 at 12:51:36 AM EST

Germany:
Heise - Telepolis

Austria
ORF - Futurezone

And I am sure there are many more :)
--
"Die Arbeit, die tüchtige, intensive Arbeit, die einen ganz in Anspruch nimmt mit Hirn und Nerven, ist doch der größte Genuß im Leben."
  - Rosa Luxemburg, 1871 - 1919

Another one falls for it: Belgian newspaper 5/11 (none / 0) (#86)
by Jozefs on Tue May 13, 2003 at 04:12:37 AM EST

The Belgian Dutch-language newspaper De Standaard printed this story almost verbatim in its edition of 5/11. The story is here, but you need a subscription to read it.
- "It is important to be certain, especially if you're wrong." - Kinky Friedman
Wall Street Journal spin (5.00 / 4) (#87)
by Seth Finkelstein on Tue May 13, 2003 at 07:03:10 AM EST

Here's the Wall Street Journal item:
Lost in Space
Over the weekend, the Associated Press reported that a mental hospital in Portland, Ore., was hiring a "Klingon interpreter" to speak to mental patients who refuse to speak in any tongue other than that of the "Star Trek" aliens. But Kuro5hin.org, a technology-news site, finds that this is a case of bureaucratic, not clinical, insanity. The Oregonian reports that "in reality, no patient has yet tried to communicate in Klingon." The advertisement for a Klingon interpreter was a preventive measure, in case a "Klingon" patient shows up. The AP omitted this fact, leading to the impression that Oregon had been invaded by self-styled Klingons.
Look at the spin - "a case of bureaucratic, not clinical, insanity", with no indication that the original effort was simply humor. Rather, this is a case of journalistic insanity.

-- Seth Finkelstein
As a journalist... (4.75 / 4) (#88)
by nordicfrost on Tue May 13, 2003 at 07:04:10 AM EST

I have written this story for the web edition of a large European newspaper. While I was sceptical of the story initially, I decided that it was a valid story, with good first-hand info. I fail to see why the would be an urban legend if the spin-off story contains the fact that
a) The language is actually accepted on the list
b) The story points out that this is a contract basis job
c) There has not been any cases yet of anyone speaking Klingon exclusivly.

Then it is a story, backed up by the Oregonian, a serious source. After all the purchaser admits it could happen "But the possibility that a patient could believe himself or herself to be a Klingon doesn't seem so far-fetched. ".

I have seen mental patients who refused to speak anything other than French, even though they clearly aren't. So having Klingon on the list seems like a quite ordinary thing to do, albeit a bit bizarre.

Glossolalia? (3.66 / 3) (#95)
by djeaux on Tue May 13, 2003 at 04:23:46 PM EST

Could be those "Klingon speakers" just took the wrong turn on the way home from Wednesday night prayer meetin'. Interpreters are readily available at pentecostal churches everywhere.

Rev. djeaux

djeaux
"Obviously, I'm not an IBM computer any more than I'm an ashtray." (Bob Dylan)

you are SO right (none / 0) (#97)
by bauklo on Tue May 13, 2003 at 06:19:33 PM EST

eom

Press Release: Klingon Removed From List (5.00 / 2) (#99)
by Seth Finkelstein on Wed May 14, 2003 at 09:30:25 AM EST

[This is the full text of the Multnomah County press release. It doesn't appear to be available anywhere else on the net, and only snippets have been reported in the press. The following was mailed to me directly. I've also archived it at
http://sethf.com/infothought/blog/archives/000280.html
]

MULTNOMAH COUNTY OREGON

May 12, 2003

Contact: Becca Uherbelau, Multnomah County Chair's Office 503-988-5273

Klingon Interpreter Services Removed From List

Recent media attention on Multnomah County RFPQ (Request for Programmatic Qualifications) RO37745 for translator and interpreter services requires clarification.

There is no cost to the county and no contractors are selected or paid through this RFPQ. "Not a penny of public money has been or will be spent on Klingon translation. I have issued an addendum to the RFPQ that officially removes it from the list of languages for county translation services effective immediately," states Multnomah County Chair Diane Linn.

"Certainly, the idea that Klingon is on a list of languages that our safety net services might have to translate sounds absurd and about as far out as you can get. It was a mistake and a result of an overzealous attempt to ensure that our safety net systems can respond to all customers and clients," states Diane Linn, Multnomah County Chair.

The county deals with a wide range of clients with severe mental health issues including manic depression, schizophrenia, multiple personalities, and delusions. It is our legal responsibility to respond with all resources and means necessary to communicate with clients.

The intent of the RFPQ is to standardize rates and the rules of service delivery for language services across the county. Additionally, the target of the RFPQ process is to develop a more comprehensive, cost effective approach to providing required and valuable translation services to clients in need. The end result is a list of qualified providers available to all county agencies, including languages spoken by a small number of potential clients.

Over 50 languages are included in the RFPQ. The county's responsibility is to provide the best possible care to the people who seek our help, particularly in the midst of a mental health or health crisis, whatever the language they speak.

"While this may sound like a quirky, peripheral issue, I would like people to take a moment to think about the kinds of things we are confronted with when we must help those who are mentally ill. The problems faced by those with mental illness are no joke, especially when they pose a threat to themselves or others. And what I hope people understand is that thanks to state budget cuts, we have little ability to help the severely mentally ill in any language. That is why we are working so hard to pass Measure 26-48," added Linn.

# # #

Public Affairs Office
501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., #600
Portland, Oregon 97214
503-988-6800 phone
503-988-6801 fax

News Release



-- Seth Finkelstein
Urban Legends site entry (none / 0) (#101)
by Seth Finkelstein on Wed May 14, 2003 at 01:20:49 PM EST

Klingon Interpreter
http://snopes.com/humor/iftrue/klingon.asp
Claim: An Oregon county health services department hired a Klingon interpreter to assist psychiatric patients who would speak no other language.

Status: False.


-- Seth Finkelstein
Those who use natural languages will die... (none / 0) (#108)
by Fen on Wed May 14, 2003 at 07:09:48 PM EST

Ambiguousness in wartime leads to death. I don't know how logical this Klingon language is, but if it is more logical, it may lead to an advantage in war. The lojban language is the most logical one I've heard of so far. I don't think this is a "funny" matter to joke about.
--Self.
Praise from original, Oregonian, reporter (5.00 / 3) (#112)
by Seth Finkelstein on Thu May 15, 2003 at 08:23:01 PM EST

[Posted with permission. Thanks!]

Seth,

I just wanted to thank you for bothering to read the original Klingon interpreter story. I was appalled when I saw the AP version that went out over the wires. You were right on in your remarks. Thanks again.

Steve Woodward
The Oregonian
E-mail: stevewoodward[at-sign]news.oregonian.com

-- Seth Finkelstein

I don't see the problem (none / 0) (#115)
by darqchild on Sun Aug 03, 2003 at 03:52:34 AM EST

they  have a list of languages that the government is required by law to provide to mentally ill people.

it doens't cost them any money unless they ever actually use the service.  all the law does is ensure that the funding will be made available to treat a patient who is mentally ill, in the best way possible.

where is the problem?


~~~
Death is God's way of telling you not to be such a smartass.

"Klingon Language Interpreter" Urban Legend | 114 comments (100 topical, 14 editorial, 0 hidden)
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