Hypothetical Question: What Would Happen to Human Society if a Universal Translator was Invented?
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2025 12:51 am
Among the many sci-fi inventions created over the centuries one of the most mundane has been the Universal Translator. This is a device where it does exactly what it says on the tin, it translates every language into something we can understand be it spoken or written we see and hear in something we can understand.
This is done solely to get around alien languages so writers don't need to create an entire language that based on how this race speaks. This way everyone speaks the same language and the audience can follow along more easily. As shown in Discovery having scenes in Klingon gets really annoying REALLY quickly but in the real world there is an argument to be had about the use of such a device really existing and what impact it would have on Human Society around the world.
Let's take a look at the classic argument in Anime, Sub vs. Dub.
This is the single longest argument in the Anime fandom and many MANY have been arguing over which is better, the original Japanese with Subtitles or the American Dub.
As someone with Dyslexia I lean towards the American Dub as I want to focus on the animation and scene in question instead of focusing my attention to the bottom part of the screen to understand what is being said.
But this isn't always an option as some animes just haven't had a dub done and may never get one. There's also the issue that sometimes dubs are just crap with wooden performances or just plain bad acting with most Subs having clearly better acting.
But there are dubs that are amazing, even blowing out some of the original performances and it's fun to contrast and compare the two.
But let's instead focus on this point from a different perspective.
Anime is HUGE in the States and the UK and a big factor of that is how many animes have been translated into English so we can understand what is being said and therefore can follow the story. Even if the translation is questionable, bad or even just plain odd anime has benefited from being translated into other series.
I'm in Love with the Villainess explored in popularity when the Light Novel series got an unofficial English Translation. The LN at the time was seen in Japan as just okay but in the States became a surprise hit when people read the series which lead to the series getting a Manga and Anime which had got a English translation that was being made at the same time as the Japanese dub so American fans wouldn't have to wait to see the series.
Now imagine that anyone could understand any Language around the world. No need to wait for someone to translate this series you can just go and read/watch it whenever you liked.
The Language barrier is something that keeps people around the world from truly understanding each other and keeps us separate from one another. And learning a new language, let alone EVERY Language is hard and can take years for some people.
Today we have a translate feature on several sites for comments. I've been able to hold an entire argument with a fan of Dragon Ball Z if Vegeta was truly redeemed or not and that person was Russia. She made an interesting point on how Vegeta should be forgiven and why she thought that was the case while I argued that while I liked that Vegeta was redeemed it was still pretty rushed and clunky.
But the fact that I was able to have this argument at all was interesting and got me thinking how in this instant I knew what she was saying and got the idea and how the system understood both languages enough to cross that barrier.
How much our world change if we could just speak to each other and just understand each other?
This is done solely to get around alien languages so writers don't need to create an entire language that based on how this race speaks. This way everyone speaks the same language and the audience can follow along more easily. As shown in Discovery having scenes in Klingon gets really annoying REALLY quickly but in the real world there is an argument to be had about the use of such a device really existing and what impact it would have on Human Society around the world.
Let's take a look at the classic argument in Anime, Sub vs. Dub.
This is the single longest argument in the Anime fandom and many MANY have been arguing over which is better, the original Japanese with Subtitles or the American Dub.
As someone with Dyslexia I lean towards the American Dub as I want to focus on the animation and scene in question instead of focusing my attention to the bottom part of the screen to understand what is being said.
But this isn't always an option as some animes just haven't had a dub done and may never get one. There's also the issue that sometimes dubs are just crap with wooden performances or just plain bad acting with most Subs having clearly better acting.
But there are dubs that are amazing, even blowing out some of the original performances and it's fun to contrast and compare the two.
But let's instead focus on this point from a different perspective.
Anime is HUGE in the States and the UK and a big factor of that is how many animes have been translated into English so we can understand what is being said and therefore can follow the story. Even if the translation is questionable, bad or even just plain odd anime has benefited from being translated into other series.
I'm in Love with the Villainess explored in popularity when the Light Novel series got an unofficial English Translation. The LN at the time was seen in Japan as just okay but in the States became a surprise hit when people read the series which lead to the series getting a Manga and Anime which had got a English translation that was being made at the same time as the Japanese dub so American fans wouldn't have to wait to see the series.
Now imagine that anyone could understand any Language around the world. No need to wait for someone to translate this series you can just go and read/watch it whenever you liked.
The Language barrier is something that keeps people around the world from truly understanding each other and keeps us separate from one another. And learning a new language, let alone EVERY Language is hard and can take years for some people.
Today we have a translate feature on several sites for comments. I've been able to hold an entire argument with a fan of Dragon Ball Z if Vegeta was truly redeemed or not and that person was Russia. She made an interesting point on how Vegeta should be forgiven and why she thought that was the case while I argued that while I liked that Vegeta was redeemed it was still pretty rushed and clunky.
But the fact that I was able to have this argument at all was interesting and got me thinking how in this instant I knew what she was saying and got the idea and how the system understood both languages enough to cross that barrier.
How much our world change if we could just speak to each other and just understand each other?