Suggest a solution to the UT

[Mr Silver]

One thing that bothers me about Star Trek is the universal translator. Obviously it is just a narrative tool to help us rationalise why alien species appear to be speaking English.

But it got me thinking if we are to just assume that the real translation would happen with delays (as each person speaks it is translated into the respective language of the other person). This would obviously create problems stemming from hearing a dual dialect with only micro delays between.

My solution would be to redefine the universal translator as a device that is implanted into a character and one that is able to understand any spoken language that has been programmed into it. This would mean that neither person in a conversation would have to speak each others language, they would just understand what the other person was saying.

I like to think that many characters in Star Trek have learnt to speak English in order to function more efficiently within the Federation (Sarek for example).

So, does anyone have any ideas how the UT could be explained with enough rationale that a viewer could suspend their disbelief and in such a way that isn't too far fetched?

 

[Timo]

The implant idea seems more or less compatible with onscreen stuff, and indeed we explicitly see that the Ferengi UT is an ear implant.

The brain is very good at processing incomplete information and in fooling itself (those are one and the same thing for the most part). Just install a reasonably good translator into the neural path between your ear and your auditory processing regions, and the brain will soon learn to convince itself that it's not hearing incomplete and halting translations, but in fact fluent language. Moreover, it will decide against fact that the person speaking is twisting his lips in accordance with the language being heard, because that's what makes sense and the brain is all about making sense.

Of course, we also hear about external devices being used in the UT role. Those might be considered mere "boosters", with extra processing power to allow all-new languages to be deciphered. This combination of implants plus external (commbadge) translators would perfectly explain VOY "Basics" where the Feds, Kazon, Kes and Neelix continue to understand each other despite only the Kazon possessing comm devices, but the Feds, Kes and Neelix are unable to learn a new language, that of the natives of the planet they are stranded on.

The UT might also exist in the visual neural pathway, explaining not only how our heroes can read alien writing (sometimes) but also how they can so effortlessly operate the visual interfaces of alien computers. The visual part of the brain would not be quite so easily fooled, though, and the "visual translations" would be less complete than the auditory ones.

We might also assume some sort of direct UT-to-UT communication between friendly implants, but that's not required for the witnessed functionality.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Unicron]

Bruce Coville's My Teacher Is An Alien series makes use of an implanted translator which is inserted into the brain, and which is considered a standard piece of equipment since it makes communications more convenient. You'd still hear the alien speaking their native language, but the implant allows your brain to hear an appropriate translation. It can also translate a degree of non-spoken communications such as body movements, so you'd be able to understand what constitutes the equivalent of a smile or laughter from an alien.

 

[Timo]

Having the implant intercept the neural signals from your ear to your brain would be more in keeping with Trek, I guess, because it would prevent you from hearing the original language - just like we hear happen.

Implants that actually directly communicate with each other are probably incompatible with the Trek reality, though. That is, direct neural communication is a rarity in "Honor Among Thieves" and "A Private Investigation", and its more advanced form used by the Borg is considered abhorrent by our heroes. Plus, villains would surely wish to eavesdrop on the heroes' UT implants if that were technologically possible. They are probably very robust and "hostile" pieces of equipment, then, never interacting much with the world. Only a special, authorized translation-boosting unit can update them with a new language (such as Kazon in VOY); unauthorized, "foreign" units cannot meddle with them.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Yevetha]

My solution would be to redefine the universal translator as a device that is implanted into a character and one that is able to understand any spoken language that has been programmed into it. This would mean that neither person in a conversation would have to speak each others language, they would just understand what the other person was saying.

They figured that in Farscape.

 

[Pavonis]

I don't think the UT is a problem in search of a solution. Babel fish, translator microbes or universal translator software, they're just tropes to get around language issues to get the plot moving.

 

[neozeks]

My solution would be to redefine the universal translator as a device that is implanted into a character and one that is able to understand any spoken language that has been programmed into it. This would mean that neither person in a conversation would have to speak each others language, they would just understand what the other person was saying.

That's how I see it too. Except that it should also give you the ability to SPEAK any language it is programmed with. That's the only way I can see situations where our characters speak with aliens that don't have UTs themselves working (and these aliens sometimes not even knowing our heroes are allien to them - like in ENT's Civilization - confirming our heroes are speaking their language).

I like to think that many characters in Star Trek have learnt to speak English in order to function more efficiently within the Federation (Sarek for example).

I'd think learning Federation Standard independently of the UT is standard procedure for all Starfleet personnel, so as to have a means of communicating with each other if the UT breaks down for some reason.

 

[CoveTom]

Another question is how we can sometimes hear a character speaking in English and then, at other times -- sometimes even in the same scene! -- hear them speak a different language like Vulcan or Klingon or whatever.

It's one thing when you see a group of Klingons together on the bridge of a ship without any humans around. Then we can just assume that they're all speaking and hearing Klingon and so that's what we're hearing. But what about situations where our heroes are present and they switch back and forth?

Take, for example, Kirk and Kruge on the Genesis planet in TSFS. Kruge speaks to Kirk and we hear it in English, but then he gives a command to transport people off the planet and we hear it in Klingon. But, OTOH, earlier in the film, when he's talking to Saavik on the planet and gets a report over the communicator about the Enterprise's approach, he responds and we hear it in English.

 

[Timo]

The solution probably lies in recognizing that the UT is not only being worn by the characters, but also by us the audience!

Take the famous scene from DS9 "Sword of Kahless" where the three ancient Klingon geezers and Dax are discussing things, seemingly in English. In the middle of the discussion, Dax tells the Klingon trio that Koloth used to have a nickname. She says a Klingon word: "D'akturak". And then she turns to Kang and translates that word to seeming English for him: "Iceman"!

Now, it makes no sense for Dax to be speaking English to these guys in the first place, as all four are native Klingons or close approximations thereto. And it makes less sense for her to translate Klingonese into English for them! But if we accept that it's us wearing the UT, then it's clear that they are speaking Klingon all the time - except when Dax reveals Koloth's nickname, in which case the UT recognizes that a foreign tongue (English!) is being spoken and accordingly translates the word (into Klingonese, which is foreign to the audience). We just got a mistaken impression because we didn't realize how our personal UT works - whereas our future heroes are familiar with theirs, and can shrug off their little idiosyncrasies easily enough.

But, OTOH, earlier in the film, when he's talking to Saavik on the planet and gets a report over the communicator about the Enterprise's approach, he responds and we hear it in English.

...And he's speaking with Maltz, his most trusted lieutenant.

In an even earlier scene, Kruge spoke Klingon with his lowly crew, but used hushed tones of English with his top officers. Now, he was rather apparently a professional spy sent to unveil UFP secrets: if he wanted to keep secrets from his own crew (as he certainly would in that situation), he'd probably decide to speak English with his equally spy-trained officers. Both when discussing the rich spoils of Genesis, and the imminent threat of a Starfleet vessel.

That basically leaves one main category of oddities here: that of untranslated insults. It may simply be that most Klingon, Romulan etc. insults are indeed untranslatable; many of the ones here on Earth are (e.g. there would be half a dozen ways of using Devil" as a cussword in Finnish, with untranslatable nuances, and the UT might simply decide not to bother). Or then the UT has a filter that refuses to translate obscenities!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[muzzleflash]

The main problem with the UT is that it has abilities which are inconsistent or simply impossible. Having the UT "lock onto the syntax" as we've often seen is complete nonsense. Not only is it impossible to decipher the meaning of a phrase by syntax alone, but it is impossible to know what the syntax is without first having some understanding of the semantics. What is the subject? What is the verb and the object? Even with a library of known words and translations, since language syntax is pretty much arbitrary, there would be no way for the UT to "decipher" an alien syntax. It would simply have to already know what it is.

Essentially, a UT would not be different from any translator that exists today.

The simplest and most logical solution to the UT would be to assume that all species are speaking some kind of intergalactic standard language, and that that language is translated into the language of the audience. Maybe different parts of space have different standard languages. For example, all subject planets of the Klingon Empire would have to be able to speak Klingon, on Federation planets would have to be able to speak Federationian, whatever language that may be. And of course, ship captains and the like who are expected to come in contact with other species would be expected to speak a variety of regional languages. As part of their training, every Starfleet officer would have to be able to speak a certain level of Klingon, given the Federation's extensive contact with them. Likewise, Klingon officers may all have to learn to speak Federationian. Given their limited contact, Romulans and Federation members would probabaly not be expected to speak each other's language. Instead they would communicate via a well known proxy language, like Klingon.

 

[Albertese]

What i want to know is what's the deal with written languages. In DS9 the consoles seem to be in a mishmash of English, Cardassian, and Bajoran (even some Ferengi) with the characters seemingly having no trouble at all with each panel. And we know Major Kira is actually reading the English because on the Defiant, when Edington transmitted the text of Les Miserables to Sisko, she mispronounced it as an unrecognized English phrase and Sisko had to correct her with the French pronunciation.

--Alex

 

[Timo]

People with different UTs would have different language skills, I guess. Sisko's UT might be trained in French where Kira's is not. And Rom's might not be fluent in Bajoran while Quark's is.

Generally, though, we might just as well assume that the UT deals with the written word and even with the body language in addition to translating the spoken word. It might be installed in an input juncture of our language center, rather than at our hearing or visualization centers, say.

Indeed, there are times when "the UT of the audience" translates written word: in "Blink of an Eye", the medieval alien writes a letter in plain English, for example. But fooling with our visual perception might be more demanding, treknologically, than making us think we are understanding a spoken alien language. It's at least conceptually plausible when we consider how visually oriented our species is.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[mronhifi123]

I don't think the UT is a problem in search of a solution. Babel fish, translator microbes or universal translator software, they're just tropes to get around language issues to get the plot moving.

 

[The_Baroness]

There must be some kind of implant involved somewhere.
How many times do we see com-badges being taken from characters, yet them still being able to chat?

 

[muzzleflash]

Can we please stop trying to justify the UT? It can't be justified. It's simply impossible. We just have to accept that it's a trope for the sake of the audience and that in "reality" such a thing would not and could not exist.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

What i want to know is what's the deal with written languages. In DS9 the consoles seem to be in a mishmash of English, Cardassian, and Bajoran (even some Ferengi) with the characters seemingly having no trouble at all with each panel. And we know Major Kira is actually reading the English because on the Defiant, when Edington transmitted the text of Les Miserables to Sisko, she mispronounced it as an unrecognized English phrase and Sisko had to correct her with the French pronunciation.

--Alex

I imagine Kira would have had to have learned Cardassian script as a survival skill. And I'm sure she would never admit to it, but I suspect she speaks some of the language too.