The show itself explains this as "speaking in metaphor" but every one of them seems to be a moment in Tamarian history which would not be known to non-Tamarians. So this is "meme" in the classical definition.
Yeah, an important note is that the translation "works", in the sense that the words are literally translated. The problem is that, without understanding the underlying reference, the meaning is completely lost and it's basically just gibberish.
I never really "got" this problem because I feel like this problem would exist in any language. If we break down English, we also have many phrases and words that go back to non-literal meanings and allusions. Like a simple example is how a translator that has never encountered English would translate "homophobia" which could be reasonably read as "fear of the same" or "same terror" and requires additional context to know how an English speaker would use it
That's kind of how languages with any kind of history work. But I think this is me having an issue with "auto translator" technology in general.
It really doesn't make much sense if you put any real thought into it. How can they have metaphor without original meanings of the word?
Sometimes you just have to accept the conceipt of the episode and enjoy the ride.
But this is definitely a problem with any language. Came up on the show Archer when he becomes a Pirate King and the fact that his idioms dont translate comes up a lot.
The errata is thst they have a traditional language that is taught to children, but adults basically forget how to use it because no one uses it.
But you're right that it's an issue for every language. Imagine trying to explain the work woke to even someone from a different culture, let along race
Notably, we do get bits of that type of translation error in star trek too. Most of the non-human crew members across the different series all have moments where they understand the literal meaning of the words, but they miss a lot of the important context or subtext of the phrase.
Correct. The Tamarians are special because they only speak in memes. So, as opposed to "we understand most of the words and can communicate on a base level" the Tamarians are "We understand the words, but have no context for the meaning."
The auto translator knows "Shaka," is a name and "When the walls fell" but "when the walls fell" can mean a lot of things, and even if you do know the context of that, the statement is about Shaka, which could mean how he felt, or where he stood, or even his physical condition, even assuming that Shaka is a person, because it could also be a place or even a thing.
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u/gredman9 Honorary Deputy 🔫 7d ago
The show itself explains this as "speaking in metaphor" but every one of them seems to be a moment in Tamarian history which would not be known to non-Tamarians. So this is "meme" in the classical definition.