[Sort-of-New Gadget Trait] Translate

[misterharry]

The following was inspired primarily by the Sontaran Translator that Curufea posted recently. Although it seems obvious what a Translate trait would do, I don't think it's ever been clearly set-out anywhere. And it seems to be a rather more complicated trait than first appears, so here we go...


TRANSLATE [Minor Good Gadget Trait]

In its early years, Doctor Who played fast and loose with the issue of how humans could understand what the Earth’s numerous alien invaders were saying, or indeed how different alien species understood each other. It wasn’t until The Masque of Mandragora that the panacea of the TARDIS (or “a Time Lord gift” as it was actually put) was mentioned. And even then, does that really work in all circumstances? I’m sure there must be instances when language wasn’t a problem even though the TARDIS wasn’t around – particularly in Torchwood or The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Like the TV series, DWAiTS glosses over the issue of language problems for the most part, going with the TARDIS’s telepathic translation abilities as a cure-all. Although the Judoon and Ood are both provided with translators, the trait used for these isn’t itself defined separately. I therefore suggest that the addition of a simple Gadget Trait to cover translation gizmos is needed, so other advanced species can sport their universal translators with pride! And here we have it: Translate. The effect of this trait may seem simple, but it can actually be quite variable and needs to be specified whenever it is included in a Gadget.

A Gadget with Translate has any or all of the following effects, as determined when the Gadget is created and with the agreement of the GM:
• It allows the user to understand any speech they hear as if it had been spoken in his/her native tongue;
• It allows others to hear anything the user says as if it had been spoken in their native tongue(s);
• It allows the user to read any writing as if it were written in his/her own language (at the GM’s discretion, even if the user is normally illiterate);
• It allows others to read the user’s writing as if it were written in their own language(s) (at the GM’s discretion, even if the reader is normally illiterate);
• It allows anybody in a defined area to be able to understand anything spoken and/or written by anybody else as if it were in their own language(s), i.e. replicating the TARDIS’s ability;
• It may be able to automatically translate all languages, or be limited to languages it is programmed with, or be able to learn new languages by analysing a sample of speech/text.

So some devices can only translate the written word; some can only translate the spoken word; and some can translate both. I’m sure there are more variations than I’ve listed, but you get the idea. But in any event, Translate is only ever a Minor Trait costing 1 point, as it’s essentially a gimmick to facilitate the smooth flow of an adventure – in most cases, it is likely to be used as a substitute for a TARDIS’s telepathic translation abilities if the player’s don’t have their own TARDIS.

[garethl]

Seems okay to me! Nice write-up.

You know the one thing that puzzles me with the universal translation capabilities of the Tardis. When the Tardis lands somewhere, the natives never seem to notice that they've somehow gained the ability to talk to the aliens, even when they have been interacting for years before the Tardis lands. In all those years some people could learn the alien language, but they would continue to talk Alien to the Aliens and that would give strange results (see Fires of Pompeii).

[Curufea]

Lovely stuff, misterharry! The extra detail is very useful

I'm also thinking that some of the TV related restrictions should be listed as well - being default restrictions that have so far not been translated in any episode-
No translator functions on pre-universe languages (see the Impossible Planet)
No translator functions for the native language of the builder of the translator as it's assumed that the device will be used by native speakers (ie Time Lord translators won't translate Gallifreyan)

[misterharry]

Thanks. Not sure I understand your last point - wouldn't that just make translators one-way? The user would be able to understand other languages, but others would not be able to understand the user? Certainly some translators could be like this - but I think it's covered by the translator not having the second ability in my list.

The pre-universe languages point is good though - I'd add:

A default limitation of translators is that they will not work on very ancient languages (e.g. those predating our Universe). However, as this is standard, it does not qualify as a Restriction that reduces the cost of a Gadget. Only with the agreement of the GM can this limitation be removed from a Gadget with Translate.

[Curufea]

I was mostly thinking of the writing that appears on postits, the monitor in the TARDIS and the baby's cradle not being translated because they were Gallifreyan.

[Rel Fexive]

It's an interesting question whether or not the TARDIS translation system makes you understand alien languages or makes alien languages turn into English (or whatever). In practice they're the same thing though, really. But in the same way it seems to make the aliens understand your language too, so it's more that they're surprised (or should be) that the TARDIS-ers can speak their language. Usually such translation only works for the TARDIS-ers, though, or so it seems; everyone else can still not understand other languages. Generally. It looks that way, anyway.

I think not understanding pre-universe languages is so much of a plot device that it doesn't need to be considered as a limitation.

I think I've mentioned elsewhere (probably) that I don't think TARDIS translation ever works on Gallifreyan writing, on security/secrecy grounds. It's much harder to work one otherwise, Time Lord-ness aside, or to figure them out.

[Stormcrow]

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
And other science facts
Just repeat to yourself, "It's just a show;
I should really just relax."

[Curufea]

I don't know if Rifftrax have done a Who yet, certainly they didn't when they were MST3K.

However, that's beside the point because roleplaying settings, unlike TV shows, do need to be internally consistent or it upsets some players.

[misterharry]

Dec 23, 2011 21:44:05 GMT Rel Fexive said:

I think not understanding pre-universe languages is so much of a plot device that it doesn't need to be considered as a limitation.

I think I've mentioned elsewhere (probably) that I don't think TARDIS translation ever works on Gallifreyan writing, on security/secrecy grounds. It's much harder to work one otherwise, Time Lord-ness aside, or to figure them out.

Good points. Maybe a more generic "Translate doesn't work in any circumstances that the plot or GM requires it not to" is all that's needed.

[Rel Fexive]

Dec 24, 2011 0:02:28 GMT Stormcrow said:

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
And other science facts
Just repeat to yourself, "It's just a show;
I should really just relax."

Dec 24, 2011 9:40:33 GMT Curufea said:

I don't know if Rifftrax have done a Who yet, certainly they didn't when they were MST3K.

However, that's beside the point because roleplaying settings, unlike TV shows, do need to be internally consistent or it upsets some players.

Yes, more precision is often necessary in the RPG-of-the-show than in the show itself. It's the nature of such things. That would be why this is being discussed in the "Rules Discussion" section rather than in the "Series Chat " section....

[dvalkyrie74]

I remember in a Tom Baker episode where the doctor was talking to Sarah and he mentioned he had taught her some linguistic skill to be able to understand any language down to "its basic level". Forgot exactly in verbatim what it was. I am not sure if it was Handof Fear or even in the episode with Sutekh.

[misterharry]

Jan 9, 2012 0:29:40 GMT dvalkyrie74 said:

I remember in a Tom Baker episode where the doctor was talking to Sarah and he mentioned he had taught her some linguistic skill to be able to understand any language down to "its basic level". Forgot exactly in verbatim what it was. I am not sure if it was Handof Fear or even in the episode with Sutekh.

Yes, it's in The Masque of Mandragora, in which Sarah asks the Doctor how she can understand Italian (which makes the Doctor realise that she's under some sort of mental control, as she's never asked before). The only explanation he gives is that "it's a Time Lord gift, which I allow you to share". It's not until the New Series that it becomes clear that it's actually a function of the TARDIS (on TV at least; there may have been some prior clarification in the spin-offs).

[Marnal]

From my TARDIS Technical Index...

Voice Integrator (a.k.a. Psio-Linguistic Translator)

The TARDIS Voice Integrator telepathically conveys the “gift” of translation to the Time Lord, allowing him to understand any language. The Integrator was invented by a Time Lord named Therde. This Translation Unit can be found on the Type 32 and all later TT Capsules.

A red switch beneath the console controls the translation circuit. If the switch is reversed it will have a “Tower of Babel” effect making it impossible for anyone within the immediate area to communicate. For this reason some operators have welded a plate over the switch to prevent tampering.

Right before materialization, a TARDIS will scan a planet's broadcast communications to gather a data for translations. The Telepathic Circuits will determine the local language as soon as a TARDIS has materialized. New languages are stored in the Language Bank for future reference. The Integrator will then provide a very sophisticated and very accurate two-way translation for the Time Lord by telepathically altering his brain so that he perceives the local language as being Gallifreyan. It will appear to the natives that the Time Lord can speak any language. The process picks up on most subtle nuances of conversation without trouble.

This Time Lord gift is shared automatically with any other sapient life-forms by the Passenger Adoption Scanning Terminal (LINK). In most cases, anyone who is onboard the TARDIS when it dematerializes is screened and adopted by the system. Thus, in theory only the crew of the TARDIS will be able to experience the Voice Integrator. However, some TARDISes have been known to in selectively adopt certain acquaintances of the crew.

Once a crew member is adopted, the rho waves telepathically alter the subject’s brain. If the subject is not familiar with Modern Gallifreyan they will hear their own native language. The effect is so seamless that inexperienced members of the TARDIS crew often don’t notice that they can suddenly speak and understand alien languages. Indeed, the PAST is usually configured so that lesser species won’t notice its existence – even if it is translating for them. This auto-conditioning can malfunction if the subject has been hypnotized or inebriated. Some people even have difficulty telling the difference between what they are thinking and what they are saying.

A fully functional Integrator will automatically alter the crew's names so that they sound normal to local aliens. It will also alter the crew's dialect to match whichever regional or cultural group they are currently speaking to at the moment. Conversely, the translated speech of local aliens is often given an additional accent in order to convey the alien's social class or educational level. The accuracy and appropriateness of these accents varies depending on the reliability of the TARDIS. Using the temporal grace circuits the translations circuits can also be set to filter swear words out of conversation (presumably by substituting less offensive words).

If a user is aware of how the Voice Integrator alters their mind then they can, with significant concentration, bypass its effects and hear the language as it actually sounds (and see the text as it actually appears). While some Time Lords appear to be able to retain every language the integrator has ever given them most lesser species find that that their recall of previous languages (from earlier time zones) is minimal.

While there is a limit to the distance at which the Voice Integrator can reach the TARDIS crew its range is well beyond several light-years. The Integrator can't translate extremely primitive languages without assistance from the Animal-Language Translation Circuits. Extremely complex languages can also defeat the Integrator. The Voice Integrator can translate any vocal language because the speaker has a mind that can be read. The Integrator's setting can be increased to translate written text if desired. But written text must already be stored in the Data-Banks in order to be translated. This limitation exists because text has no mind that can be read by the Telepathic Circuits. Due to an oversight in the programming Gallifreyan is not always translated because it is assumed the TARDIS crew knows how to read it. Languages whose written form are very abbreviated or ideographic (such as Osiran Hieroglyphs) can cause the Integrator difficulties. By the end of the Time War, the only written languages not included in the Data-Banks are ones that have been described as "impossibly old."

It is possible (but unconfirmed) that the telepathic systems of the Integrator subtly manipulate the local inhabitants of a given time zone so that the TARDIS crew would be accepted by everyone they meet as being part of their own world. It should be noted that the locals might still see the crew as being dangerous or hostile but they will be perceived as being a known and understood part of that world. It will be very difficult for the crew to convince them that they originate from a point outside their sociological noosphere.

The telepathic circuits can be combined with the Voice Integrator to cause a person's words to come out backwards. Since the system is part of the Telepathic Circuits it can be disabled if all the symbiotically linked Time Lords are mentally incapacitated (such as post regeneration trauma). Under such circumstances, the Voice Integrator will not function until the Time Lord has recovered.