Tuesday Tidbits: Lost in Translation

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Tuesday Tidbits: Lost in Translation

The greatest thing since sliced bread in the science fiction world is the universal translator. Before the invention of the universal translator, any one who traveled to a new planet was pleased to hear that everyone in the universe spoke English.

I watched re-runs of Star Trek in the 70s and I assumed that all alien races spoke English, and the same goes for Space:1999. Battlestar Galacatica had the same fortune during their flight from the Cylons. Even science fiction books during that time didn’t mention any use of such an incredibly useful device.

It wasn’t until Star Trek: The Next Generation that this concept was mentioned, but even then as viewers, we just assumed it was being used. Star Trek: Enterprise was the first show to actively use it and it often failed as it was in it’s infancy at the time. That’s why you have to enlist linguistics experts.

If you are a sci-fi fan, you know that in order to communicate with an alien race you need to find common ground, and that is more often than not, mathematics.

1+1=2 no matter if you are an Earthling or a Boltarian warrior. So before you get sliced in half by its karlock, you better be doing some quick scrawling in that piece of paper you have in your pocket. What? No pen? Well then, it’s been nice knowing you.

I’ve used this method before, not in real life, but to allow some of my characters to strike up a conversation, but I don’t want it to become a reoccurring theme each time I write a new book, so I try to mix it up and sometimes have to species just fail to communicate or proceed under the assumption that Dr. Ho’s Universal Translator* is operating as it should.

-Leon

*Only three easy payments of $49.99, but if you act now you’ll get a second one for free. Just pay the shipping. Not available on Zortal 4 or Missada Prime.

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.

My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/