The Universal Translator Malfunctions from Star Trek: Discovery "An Obol for Charon" - Translated

The universal translator is one of Star Trek's greatest thematic devices, used to explain why all the aliens seem to speak English. Like many Star Trek inventions, we're inching closer and closer to a universal translator (for known, Earth languages) being a reality - even if it doesn't somehow change the speaker's lip movements.

In the Star Trek: Discovery second season episode "An Obol for Charon," the universal translator malfunctions translating the crew's spoken English into what I've liked to call "a chaotic cacophony" akin to the Tower of Babel; the crew can't understand each other or their consoles. (You can watch the scene over at YouTube or below.)

Since the episode aired, I've looked for someone to have translated the scene -- but to my surprise, no one has, so in addition to the edits I've made over at Memory Alpha, here is the scene as I've been able to put it together.

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Burnham: qav'ap vISuDbogh vIyaj. ghurlaHbe' vummeH Domaj. (Klingon) [KlingonWiki]
I understand the stakes. We're working as fast as we can. 

Pike: Pourquoi parlez-vous Klingon? (French) 
Why are you speaking Klingon? 

Owosekun: Wetdetto kesto dian dopyenojian. (UNCLEAR) 
[Translation]

Detmer: Endon deth pednog. Arabic kayenn? (Andorian) 
I can't read my console. Is this Arabic? 

Owosekun: Jeg kan ikke forstå noe som helst. (Norwegian) [Reddit] 
My controls have gone crazy. I can't read anything. 
(I can’t understand anything at all.)

Pike: Töte die alarme. Was ist passiert? (German) 
Kill those alarms. Someone tell me what happened? 
(Kill the alarms. What happened?)

Nhan: Il traduttore universale no funziona. (Italian) 
Universal translator must be malfunctioning. 

Bryce: Capten Pike. Mae'r gronnell wedi ateb ein trawsyrru... a dyma sy wedi digwydd. (Welsh) [Reddit] 
Captain Pike. The sphere answered our hail... and then this happened. (Bryce) 
(Captain Pike. The sphere/globe has answered our transmission(s)… and here/this is what has happened.)

Pike: Hat jemand eine idee? (German) 
Anyone got any ideas? 

Pike: Barokh' haba l'mig'dal babal. (Hebrew) 
Welcome to the Tower of Babel. 
(.ברוך הבא למגדל בבל)

Burnham: I bǐ chuánshàng de oi yung dōu duō. (Mandarin Chinese) 
You know more languages than anyone on the ship. 

Saru: Shì. Jiǔshísì. 
Yes. Ninety-four. 
(是。 九十四。)

Burnham: El traductor universal ha sido invadido por un virus. Está traduciendo todo a un idioma diferente. (Spanish) 
The universal translator's been invaded by a virus. It's translating everything into a different language.  

Saru: Tengo ojos y oídos, Burnham. 
I have eyes and ears, Burnham. 

Male on comm, or Bryce (?): (...gondo res navos comandos.) (UNCLEAR, Spanish?) 
(Background, Unclear… 'commands' ?)

Female on comm (?): (...something something something day.) (UNCLEAR) 
(Background, Unclear…)

Saru: Ordinaatëer, appal baropa laapa vingalu téeméer ak ñeent-fukk juróom ñett dëgre. (Wolof) [Reddit] 
Computer, maintain helm stability at one-hundred-forty-eight degrees off axis. 
(Computer, limit … thinner one-hundred and forty-eight degrees.)

Computer: Waaw. Degg naala.
Confirmed. 

Female on comm (?): (Shimi tem...) (UNCLEAR) 
(Background, Unclear…) 

Computer: Défaillance du logiciel de traduction détecté. (French) [Reddit] 
(Failure of the universal translator detected.)

Computer: (Gibberish in multiple languages: Pat-, nep-, loo-, lik-... annouce-... traduttore... selefante...) 
([Gibberish, except when it's not. Italian?])

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Burnham: Ya izolirovala sistemu svyazi. Gotov k povtornoy initsializatsii? (Russian) [Reddit] 

I've isolated the communications system. Ready to reinitialize? 

(Я изолировала систему связи. Готов к повторной инициализации?)

Saru: Vhozhu v tsikl initsializatsii. Davay. 

Entering the reinitialization sequence. Now. 

(вхожу в цикл инициализации. Давай.)


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