The more I learn about variations in languages, the more irritated I get at the idea of a universal or magical translator in media.
How do those account for differences in sentence structure? How do they translate words with no actual translations? What about words that DO have translations but have different connotations that aren’t part of a translation? What about words that have MULTIPLE translations depending on the context?
Would a magical translator translate 俺 as “I (strongly masculine)” or just as “I”? What if a character says something like おおかみ, which has two major meanings depending on how it’s written? Would a magical translator be able to understand the context enough to translate it correctly, know that they’re talking about kami as opposed to wolves?
Don’t mistake this for a complaint or demand for change or anything, it’s me desperately wishing that there were more issues with universal translators in media because it’s not only more realistic (and doesn’t essentially frame every language as either “English” or “Not English But It Can Be”) but there’s also a lot of fun comedic potential there.
I think this might be specifically why I like the Bable Fish from Hitchhiker’s - Douglas Adams was not shy about saying the story was supposed to be nonsensical and the translator fish that enters your brain through your ear fits that. It’s not science, or technology - it is a living organism, a parasite even, that lives in you and somehow has the ability to translate all languages. That’s all you get
The other major plot point is that Earth no longer exists, so the only Earth language left is Arthur Dent’s Very British English, and everything else is absolutely literally alien. Then the first alien language he encounters is Vogon - and the first thing we learn is that they have the worst poetry in the galaxy, capable of literally killing people upon hearing it. The scene is wonderfully silly as it is and I think the organic nature of the translator makes it more seamless than trying to work in tech or science.
To your point - I do wonder if the Babel Fish suffers the same painful convulsions during translation that the organism listening to the poetry experiences, or would it be “immune” due to being a parasite?
Imagine your icon saying they want to try out all your kinks and fantasies and they won’t be satisfied until there are no more left.
MY DREAM
Fanfiction is great because you can watch your OTP confess their undying love to each other four hundred times in a row, and it’s different every time.
Over the years we’ve had a variety of odd pairs
elphabaforpresidentofgallifrey:
We have a frog and a pig
a rabbit and a promiscuously drawn woman
a donkey and a dragon
a shape shifting dog and a rainbow unicorn
these two
and a warthog with a meerkat who raise a lion cub
But no one will ever accept the Bee Movie
im pretty sure no one has accepted that a donkey fucked a dragon
I’ve always wondered if God gets excited when we finally find the person He created us to be with. Or if He is watching and is like, “That was them! NO. NO. TURN AROUND! YOU MISSED THEM! THAT WAS THEM!”
“UGH, WHY ARE ALL MY OTPS WALKING BY EACH OTHER WITHOUT NOTICING!”
We are in a giant reality tv show and God and the angels are the fandom.
thunderstorms are nothing more than ship wars going on in heaven
It is so incredible and amazing to be able to read literally hundreds of different versions of the same characters falling in love for the first time.
Another huge thanks to the many talented and dedicated fan-fiction writers out there.
YES
My absolute favorite, to read as well as write.
Yes, this.
There are so many people in this fandom who never - or very rarely - get the appreciation they deserve. Instead of hearing how great they are, or how wonderful their fanfiction/artwork/personality is, they watch as other (more popular) people get love, affection and attention for what they contribute.
Everyone contributes something.
Therefore everyone deserves to be acknowledged.
So what I ask is that if you can think of someone who you appreciate, please send them a message and thank them for making your experience in this (or any other fandom) so much better.
It doesn’t matter who or what for, just let them know that they’re worthwhile because there are so many out there who probably don’t feel like they are.
Imagine your icon and the members of it’s fandom sleeping over at your house.
“ooh this seems like a nice fanfic to rea-”
shipping is disgusting you should all be ashamed of yourselves
someone already beat you to the punch with this joke you are 5 minutes too late
you still gotta sign for the package
shawty got the applebottom jeans, the boots with the fur, the breastplate of iron +10 with the +25% fire resist enchantment
the whole guild was looking at her
if you ever worry that you’re weird, or taking it a bit far as a fangirl, remember that people in ancient Rome used to buy vials of their favorite gladiator’s sweat to wear as perfume. so like. at least its not a new thing.
Imagine your icon telling you dirty things with their current expression.
Just flat-lined…
I can’t breathe xD