Who speaks

[ninetofive]

When watching scenes like Jadzia's Party in YACI, where the characters are out of uniform, I've always started to wonder which alien personnel actually speak English, and which rely on their comm badges.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that all children on Federation worlds learn English as a Second Language at school. (This would be an interesting discussion in itself.)

On DS9, the only aliens who MAY be from a Fed world are the Trills ie. Jadzia and Ezri. (Whether Trill is a member is often debated http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Talk:Trill)

I don't see why Quark, Odo or Kira would know English. Kira especially, since I imagine she had a very limited education.

The Ferengi are off the hook, because it's been established (in Little Green Men) that they have universal translators in their ears.

With Garak it's hard to say. We know he speaks Klingon (WotW). Since he is the Cardassian equivalent of a CIA agent, it is not incoceivable that he knows several foreign languages.

Your thoughts?

 

[RaymondJames]

Interesting propasition. I honestly don't know hoe to reply since its pretty much all theory. I would bring up that for alien species federation and non federation which attend Starfleet Academy purhaps learn the Native languages of someother federation members, oviously a cadet majoring in communications or some form of diplomatic feild must learn a wide array of languages, however, I would dare to theorize that any cadet has to learn atleast one "alien" language if not more.

I don't see why Quark, Odo or Kira would know English. Kira especially, since I imagine she had a very limited education.

I agree, though Quark being in the gambling bussiness as well as weapons dealing and possibly smuggling could/should know a few bits of vast languages to do transactions if communication translation technology isn't present or avalible. Odo working for the Cardassians proably knows Cardassian language. As for Kira you have made a good point but she always seemed to be very eduacted. She holds a high rank with the Bajoran militia (which means nothing) but Starfleet allowed her to hold the rank of Commander and despite that it could be due to her militia background and combat experiance, I don't think they would have done that if she wasn't educated.

 

[Photon]

When watching scenes like Jadzia's Party in YACI, where the characters are out of uniform, I've always started to wonder which alien personnel actually speak English, and which rely on their comm badges.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that all children on Federation worlds learn English as a Second Language at school. (This would be an interesting discussion in itself.)

On DS9, the only aliens who MAY be from a Fed world are the Trills ie. Jadzia and Ezri. (Whether Trill is a member is often debated http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Talk:Trill)

I don't see why Quark, Odo or Kira would know English. Kira especially, since I imagine she had a very limited education.

Garak is problematic, since he is the Cardassian equivalent of a CIA agent, it is not incoceivable that he knows several foreign languages.

Your thoughts?

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

 

[ninetofive]

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

Maybe Dax and Kira just slip their commbadges into their bras on such occassions?

 

[RaymondJames]

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

Maybe Dax and Kira just slip their commbadges into their bras on such occassions?

 

[Katrine]

While I agree that Kira was a smart cookie, when would she have had time for getting an education? Sitting in a foxhole with Shakar? I think she had life experience education, not any formal education.

 

[Navaros]

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

Photon is right. It's UT implants. Comm badges are irrelevant to UT being active. Therefore, anyone can speak.

 

[Hermiod]

While I agree that Kira was a smart cookie, when would she have had time for getting an education? Sitting in a foxhole with Shakar? I think she had life experience education, not any formal education.

Kira was clearly educated at the School of Hard Knocks and the University of Life.

Speaking of implants, however, the Ferengi in "Little Green Men" used implants embedded in their ears rather than visible communicators. Perhaps other people had similar devices.

 

[Photon]

Speaking of implants, however, the Ferengi in "Little Green Men" used implants embedded in their ears rather than visible communicators. Perhaps other people had similar devices.

SEEEEEEE!!!!!

 

[Photon]

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

Photon is right. It's UT implants. Comm badges are irrelevant to UT being active. Therefore, anyone can speak.

Those implants never made to Darmok and Jilad on the sea, with their sails unfurled.

 

[Hermiod]

Speaking of implants, however, the Ferengi in "Little Green Men" used implants embedded in their ears rather than visible communicators. Perhaps other people had similar devices.

SEEEEEEE!!!!!

You have incorrectly attributed that quote.

 

[Photon]

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

Maybe Dax and Kira just slip their commbadges into their bras on such occassions?

Dax, Kira we seem to be picking unusual E-band waves, I blv its coming from your implants. I need to check them, this may take a while.

 

[smeos]

Universal translator implants. That's it, implants.

Photon is right. It's UT implants. Comm badges are irrelevant to UT being active. Therefore, anyone can speak.

Those implants never made to Darmok and Jilad on the sea, with their sails unfurled.

The problem in "Darmok" wasn't in understanding the words, but the metaphors. The alien captain spoke English, but the language consisted of nothing but incomprehensible metaphors.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Too bad nobody ever thought to write a story where the evil aliens wreak havoc by interfering with the UT. Whether implants, combadges or whatever. There was that "Babel" episode, but I was thinking more along the lines of Starfleet's vulnerability if everyone does not know English. Maybe they insist their own personnel do but DS9 in particular had so many aliens that I doubt Kira and Odo would know English.

 

[Sheliak]

Is Federation Standard, English?

 

[Jono]

The UT is portrayed strangely. We're to believe it translates all language into a form the user can recognise but how often do we have Worf having to translate some Klingon phrase into English. For instance when Dax first meets Worf she says something to him in Klingon and no one else understands when in fact they should all have instantly had it translated into English and Bajoran so Bashir, O'Brien and Kira would immediately understand.

Or when Gowron is about to attack DS9 and says whatever he says in Klingon, Sisko should just understand it and not have to ask Worf for a translation.

Of course having it work "properly" would ruin many jokes and dramatic moments.

Is Federation Standard, English?

Well, all Federation ships (except one ship that was named after a Russian bloke) have their names and numbers in English. All writing and symbols inside the ship are in English. Once again that is a TV thing given that the Audience speaks and reads english, but you could take it to mean that English is the official language of the Federation.

 

[Hermiod]

^That's not true, there have been Starships named after Vulcans and even Klingons.

 

[Jono]

^That's not true, there have been Starships named after Vulcans and even Klingons.

True, I can't recall seeing the hull registry and name on one of those ships, so it is possible that the names could be in Vulcan or Klingon as opposed to English. That doesn't negate the fact that on the inside the ships are have English text all over the walls.

 

[Hermiod]

^That's probably true, but Earth is the capital of the Federation. We saw in Enterprise that it was humans, specifically Archer, who brought the previously hostile Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites together in peace.

There's no particular reason for a society with access to a universal translator to have an "official" language but given that Starships have crews made up of races from all over Federation space, it is not realistic to have signage written in every possible language.

 

[Jono]

There's no particular reason for a society with access to a universal translator to have an "official" language but given that Starships have crews made up of races from all over Federation space, it is not realistic to have signage written in every possible language.

Doesn't that support the need for an official language? You might not need to speak it but it would help to be able to read it.

Not canon, but the novels refer to a Federation standard as the official language of the Federation and used for things such as official documents signage on ships, etc. It doesn't specify that the language is actually English. Personally I'm a fan of a standard language throughout the Federation, like what Basic is to the GFFA.