Universal translators right?
Maybe it's because I've spent 64% of my life studying foreign languages, but I hate the idea of universal translators. Not like on a wide spread application of course, but for close, interpersonal relationships.
I mean obviously it's convenient; you automatically can talk to anybody you want no prob bob, but I feel like they take away a certain depth. I don't really know how to explain it but like, I keep thinking about star trek and mass effect and just.
Shepard and Garrus can't talk to each other without technology.
Rider and Jaal already have a few noticeable words that can't translate; I really can't imagine how many more there are.
Worf and Dax would do well because Dax knows Klingon, but for the most part every single interspecies, hell even interracial couples (assuming there wasn't a unified language on earth before the universal translator,) would just like...never be able to talk to each other. Of course they would *eventually* find a way, but it would be hard as hell at first.
It almost feels like a kind of long term distance to me. Like, yes you are in love and yes you are together but there's still this wall between you. 99% of your relationship relies on a piece of technology. It just? Like? I seriously have 0 idea how to explain how I feel. Obviously a relationship can just use a translator, but I feel like it would deepen the relationship so much more if they took the time to learn each other's language. Like I as a predominantly English speaking American would 100% learn the language of my significant other. Hell, I learned 300 words of Dutch for my Dutch boyfriend before he turned fuckboy. And if I had a Chinese s/o I would 100% use Chinese with them so they could feel comfortable and at home with me.
Do you get what I'm saying? I'm not even sure I do.
(Another thought I had after revision) you're also never hearing their actual voice, their actual nuance, their actual intentions with a translator. The way things are said doesn't always directly translate. There's so much emotion and inflection and intention in languages that would be lost on you if you were hearing it in your native tongue. I.e., there are entire grammar structures in Chinese that don't 100% translate. You can get a general idea of what the sentence means but I've noticed more than a few where one half of the structure goes untranslated because in English it's unnecessary. Of course I can't think of any to display this, but it's true. The best I can think of is "č˝çśăăăä˝ćŻ" which I understand to be something like "although...but." and in my opinion it's a clunky translation. Like "äťč˝çśä¸ĺ揢ĺéąźăä˝ćŻäťĺŚĺŚĺ¸¸ĺ¸¸ĺäşă" LITERALLY it translates to "although he doesn't like to eat fish, but his mom often makes it." The but is unnecessary and in translations often goes left out, meaning that you aren't getting 100% of the translation and therefore you are losing part of the culture inside the language.
