Language and Science Fiction

Common. High Gothic. English.

Languages are tough in Science Fiction. You want to add that spice of the unknown, the unusual, the exotic. Instead you find yourself Googling this phrase and that trying to translate. It never sounds right, and always sounds fake. I’ve recently been learning a bit of Aramaic for some characters in my story. I’m keeping it simple and beyond a few phrases adding little in dialogue.

It doesn’t sound good if I add things you don’t know. If I was Jim Harrison I could do it with Spanish, but I’m not, and you couldn’t piece together ay Aramaic.

One example that does language well is the Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison. He adds Esperanto. It works fairly well given the setting. For now I’ll only invoke it when it makes sense, otherwise it’ll get paraphrased.

57,300 Words, 1600 words since last post.