Show link text in page navigation that different from page title

I’m writing a theme for a site whose structure is normal: two columns with page navigation provided in a horizontal “navigation bar” (or “tabs,” if you prefer).

Let’s say a page’s title is “About Our Journal.” A natural way to expose that page in horizontal navigation would be “About.” Or image a now-common idiom: a large-font single word followed immediately by some other (amplifying, clarifying) text.

I could hard-code the navigation or I could embed the page title in a head within the text of each page and use single word page titles. But neither approach separates content from presentation and both seem less flexible than I imagine WP is.

Suggestions sure would be appreciated.