Pardon my French?

Posted on 29 May 2019 @ 7:53am by Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Ensign Mimi & Ensign Callin Mastrel

1,976 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 5, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD -10 1430

ON:

As they had talked about awhile back Allyndra was now going to try conversational Nekomi in a regular setting. She was a little nervous as she stepped into the observation lounge at the agreed upon time of fourteen thirty.

She spotted her friend at a table right at the windows and thankfully the place was not too busy. There were a few people here and there but sparse enough.

Since she was a little nervous she went to the bar first and ordered a drink. That was something she almost never did but a drink seemed to be something appropriate. She got a glass of Moscato d'Asti and then headed toward the table. Approaching she made a small dip and said, "Limot saya, izan li eseri rekin anda, li an Allyndra" She had worked on trying to get the Akkadian trill and emphasis on vowels down but she knew it was probably there and even more so than in her speaking of Federation standard.

Mimi looked up at Allyndra and smiled. "Pilyes" She said motioning to the opposite chair. "Pilyesd dia topatu anda."

"Diolch anda de andar kabaitan Si li izan lie tam unsa sura li izan hanai de anda?" Allyndra asked. She was not sure if she got the order part right, maybe it was fetch or something similar. She was struggling with the language already.

From a table next to the pair, Callin turned to peer at them from over his shoulder. A cup of tea rested forgotten between his hands when he'd heard the language, one that the UT didn't automatically render into Standard. He silently tried forming some of the words himself, knowing his vocal cords wouldn't likely be up to the challenge without some serious augmentation, and didn't realize he might be staring. If there was anything that could grab his attention it was definitely an unknown and untranslated language!

Allyndra sat back and then uttered, "A'he aha ka hua'ōlelo?" One could tell that phrase came easily and was quite different from the other language. It trilled up and down with the heavy emphasis on the vowels.

"Nyas, diolch anda" Mimi replied keeping in character and to the plan despite Allyndra speaking in Akkadian, she tapped out the correct word onto a Padd and passed it along to her then spoke again. "De ta bisitari andar nekomi lie nyasi buruk."

"Anda sony kaayo kabait dia curla nik Li zen girosura dia veure si dupris hitz li erabis zen oikea. Li an pensatura den zen mas bezala kunin"

Callin had completely forgotten his drink now and had twisted around fully in his chair to definitely stare now, his hands over the chair-back and his chin on top of his hands. He was grinning too, listening to the fascinat"...lie nyasi buruk," he whispered softly. Two distinct, untranslated languages, right here on this ship!

Allyndra turned her head as her ears picked up the whipser. She recognized the ensign sitting at the next table and asked, "I did not know someone else knew any Nekomi."

With a growing smile, Callin turned around in his chair more to face the two other officers, "Nekomi? I haven't had the chance to learn, not yet at least. But I find it every bit as fascinating as your own native tongue, Commander." He grinned further at Mimi and bobbed his eyebrows, "We didn't get much of a chance at the Academy for our own side projects like that, but I did learn how hard it is to keep up with a Nekomi though!"

Mimi looked over at the ensign, he seemed familiar but she couldn't quite place him but the comment about trying to keep up with her had to mean something. "Were you on one of the academy running groups?" she asked him.

Callin nodded, "Yep, exactly! Not surprised if you don't remember me; I was a few years behind you, and I'm sure the rest of us looked like blurs out on the track. I thought I was a pretty fast sprinter, until I saw you the first time in the field."

looking Calling over once more Mimi smiled "Now I recognise you, Callin right? You were a very good sprinter, only me and the Caitian's could beat you."

Allyndra listened to the two and then asked of Callin, "So is that where you learned Nekomi?"

At the recognition, Callin beamed, "I'm flattered! I used to imagine what it must be like to run so fast, the wind streaming by, even the fastest humanoid must've seemed like they were moving in slow motion." He turned the smile to Allyndra at her question, "Oh, that?" Callin shrugged. "Just repeating what I heard. Couldn't tell you what it means though." At last realizing he had jumped right in to their conversation he offered a very belated apology, "I hear a language that isn't being translated through the UT's and I can't help but listen in. Sorry if I am intruding."

Allyndra inclined her head and then said, "E 'ele mai me mālou," then repeated the phrase in Nekomi and then finally said in Standard. "Please come join us."

Callin quickly grabbed his drink and got up long enough to spin his chair around and scoot it closer to their table, and he whispered the words to himself both time, "Thank you. Would it be too much to ask you both - why don't we have a full translation available yet for your languages?"

"Both of our species aren't part of the federation," Mimi told him, "and as the only ones of our kind in the federation, communication is a little harder, the UT is not a.... big fan of either language."

Allyndra nodded to Mimi's assertion. "Indeed," she made a small shrug. "While the UT will somewhat work, there has not been a push for a good understanding of either language. The home world or indeed colonies of the Nekomi are unknown currently and as for mine, we are still a bit wary of outsiders. We have an alliance but contact between Akkadia and the Federation is at best minimal."

The young man looked between them both for a moment, hesitant, then plunged on ahead, "I don't know if you might be interested - I'm sure I can't be the first Federation linguist to ask - but would you be open to the idea of a translation project?" Before he could get shot down immediately, Callin rushed on, "I mean, if there aren't any sort of cultural or diplomatic reasons against it? Languages that the UT can't handle is the kind of work I focus on and I have a system I've been building that incorporates more than just the linguacode, things like brain wave scans, historical references, telepathic readings, all sorts of stuff as I refine the process..."

Allyndra thought a moment. There were a few things that might be problematic. "Learning the language is fine, historical references is going to problematic. The archives are pretty much off limits even to most of us and the language has drifted over time. I am not sure brain or telepathic will work with me."

"And I was only young teen when I ended up in the care of the federation, I only know so much about my own species." Mimi added. "But you can try and learn my language if you want."

As if they hadn't just told him how terribly hard this might turn out to be, Callin's smile was back in a flash, "That's great, absolutely great! I'll need to schedule a time to meet with you both." He didn't seem at all daunted that there were going to be obstacles in the way; if anything, that made this all the more fun for him! Allyndra's unique biochemistry would make for a fascinating study as they went along, and if the project could help Mimi discover more about her people what an amazing gift it could be. "The UT is versatile, amazing, but we've started to take it for granted I think. Communication is so much more than just inserting the direct translation of one word to another. By building a whole new translation matrix from the bottom up, but by keeping the UT involved through the process, we'll be able to teach it more ways that that's true."

He blinked, realized he might be going a bit overboard, and then laughed at himself, "Sorry to get carried away. I would be honored too, to learn both of your languages, it's not just a work thing."

"Hlkia iaʻoe kle aʻo," Allyndra replied and translated, "you are most welcome to learn."

"Thank you both," he said and bowed his head to them. Callin whispered the words under his breath, repeated them a few times, but knew that the true learning, the understanding, was going to take a long, long time.

Allyndra looked to Mimi and raised a brow. "I could do that in Nekomi but perhaps best to hear it from a native speaker than one with a definite accent."

"Perhaps, you will get the accent at some point Allyndra." Mimi said before speaking the earlier phrase in Nekomi "Anda son gehien selemat dia dresna Callin. Both our languages are hard though."

"Anda son gehen selmat dia dresna," he repeated the words again, coming close for having only just heard the phrase but not quite right. "Hlkia ia'oe kle ah'o." Some of the sounds were definitely going to take some practice! He took a sip of his drink to clear his throat.

"That's exactly the kind of languages I'm most interested in, Mimi," Callin said, and he looked like he enjoyed the challenge. "Learning your languages, it's not just a chance to come up with a new translation." Although, he admitted to himself the laurels of another successful translation were nice too. "I'm really looking forward to learning more about how you think too. If language is the expression of thought - one form at least - then it can teach us to see the universe in a different light."

"Well you are welcome to read some of my logs. I keep a running one called Tales of Akkadia which mostly is just stories from our past, mostly myths and legends, words of wisdom that sort of thing. I can also give you a short history of my people as well. Unfortunately for Mimi here we have yet to properly locate her home planet."

"I can tell you a little about my own background but not too much about the Nekomi." Mimi said. "I was quite young when I..... left my people."

"Well perhaps we can get together later Ensign Mastrel. My quarters say tommorrow at 1300 and I can give you copies of my logs and introduce you to a little bit of Akkadian culture."

Callin rose from the chair and offered Allyndra a slight bow, "I will be there, and thank you again." The young man obviously was excited by the idea by the way he almost bounced. "Definitely going to get a start on those logs too! And Mimi..." He turned to her and his happy face grew more serious for a moment, "...I understand that parts of this might be hard for you, so if you ever want to stop just give the word."

"Excellent, see you then. I will let Mimi make her own arrangements. Here is to learning." Allyndra raised her glass and clinked the others.

OFF:


Ensign Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Second and Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

Ensign Callin Mastrel
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

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