[ SECRET POST #3095 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3095 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


__________________________________________________



02.
[Poets of the Fall]


__________________________________________________



03.
[The Authority/Stormwatch/Midnighter]


__________________________________________________



04.
[Anthony Bourdain/Parts Unknown]


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.


__________________________________________________



09.














Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 010 secrets from Secret Submission Post #442.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

06. http://i.imgur.com/kKKUcWK.png

[fingalsanteater]

But. Like. She's a Communications officer, so she's got to communicate. Ergo LINGUIST.

I don't mind her being a linguist academically because there will always be those races which the universal communicator does not work with (Darmok anyone?), but I don't think the writers really got that a communications officer doesn't really mean liguist.

op

[(Anonymous)]

Right, but I figured she could be in charge of the communications SYSTEMS. Not just languages, but also making sure that information is relayed to the proper people through the proper channels. Being an electrical engineer would help her to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

It just seems a tad odd to me that Uhura would be a linguist because the universal translator would really limit her utility. And not only has it appeared in Star Trek TOS, but I know people working on programs to translate and, while they're VERY rudimentary now, we'll see some darn good ones by the end of our lives, let alone by the time Uhura's born.

I also thought this could give her some cool plotlines -- such as if the crew ends up stranded with their systems damaged, then Uhura could fix or even invent a new mode of communication (such as by modifying a device). I thought it sounded cool.

Re: op

[fingalsanteater]

I was being sarcastic in regards to the AOS writers in my comment because I think they don't get what a comm officer is. I totally get you OP, and I agree completely. Engineer makes more sense to me too, now that you've made me think about it, because she is in charge the comm systems, not in charge of being proficient in other languages. That's sounds like more of a job for a science officer of some sort? Like, a kind of Daniel from Stargate?

[(Anonymous)]

Not OP

Good point. Being a boss linguist would help make you a boss Comms officer, but there would be a lot of other shit you'd have to do.

[(Anonymous)]

You know, I never thought about it that way. Makes me dislike the reboot somewhat. Like JJ really did not do his homework all that well.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, they did. Nichelle Nichols said she always was supposed to be a linguist too but they never show it because her character kept getting her lines cut and was underdeveloped . That's why she got angry when in the movies they made her use a dictionary to speak klingon: it was OOC because she should speak alien languages or at least basic klingon.
The reboot has many flaws but Uhura is not one of them.
They made her first name finally canon, they made her a linguist like it was written in the show bibble and they made spock/uhura canon that also was a subplot Roddenberry had wanted but couldn't pursue in a time that was ten times more racist than now and where producers actually pushed for him to fire Nichols and would never make a regular contract for her.
Everything done with her character was approved by Nichelle Nichols. Both she and Nimoy are the original actors who visited the set and talked with JJ and the writers the most.

[(Anonymous)]

Completely unrelated, but this secretly made me realise that Uhura was given the job in TOS that was closest to a receptionist.

Lol the 60s.

[(Anonymous)]

Huh?

As far as I know, if their workplace comes under attack and a receptionist's electronics are damaged, they aren't going to be the one fixing it.

[(Anonymous)]

That is true. (Star Trek was progressive for it's time, but it's not by today's standards.) But why did this secret make you realize that?

Well, yeah.

[(Anonymous)]

She was the communications officer. Sort of like a telephone operator, who screened and routed information.

It was a job a woman "could do" in the 1960's, but not an unimportant one. I suspect Gene wrote "feminine" roles for Nichelle and Majel (who played the nurse) after network pushback against the pilot where Majel played a Spock-like First Officer.

My thoughts on universal translators...

[(Anonymous)]

For a working universal translator you'll need a machine capable of both recognizing context and interpreting correctly instead of translating literally.

The best we have use diverse sources to deal with common sentences instead of word-by-word translation. Can we expect for more improvements?
Sure, specially for technical fields because the limited context makes easier to avoid misunderstandings, but only as long as it's possible to have a high quality database and that's is per se pretty hard.

But an actual somehow good universal translator without limitations?
Nah, that's not gonna happen outside fiction.

(And in canon, won't a linguist be needed to keep such technology up-dated? Plus there needs to be a translator for the times the machine isn't available...)

Re: My thoughts on universal translators...

[(Anonymous)]

"But an actual somehow good universal translator without limitations?
Nah, that's not gonna happen outside fiction."

I think there will always be a need for people, but I think you're also limiting yourself a bit too much by current technological issues. With greater computing power, a lot of the issues with context and interpretation could be addressed.

Will it ever be perfect? I don't think so.

But the idea that an entire JOB will be devoted to speaking languages is a bit silly to me. Especially because there must now be MILLIONS of languages known. It makes FAR more sense to me that Uhura would know how to use tech -- program the systems, deal with the universal translator -- rather than try to know all those languages herself.

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

[(Anonymous)]

never under estimate how much we speak in memes and cultural references:
et tu blabla?
it was kafka-esque
such a casanova
herculean task
such a bitch (what's wrong with a female dog?)
no shit sherlock

Without a corresponding wikipedia for each culture, the universal translator would be choking on many words.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, I thought he was having a shave.

[anarchicq]

Well, being a linguist would help with text wouldn't it? Unless the universal translator does that same thing that iphone app does?

And, in, for example, Farscape, Translator Microbs don't work on all species. Having a linguist would help in that instance.

[(Anonymous)]

+1,000,000 for the Farscape reference!

Psych/Soc-based comment

[(Anonymous)]

Regardless of the existence of translators, there's always going to be situations where it's going to be more appropriate to speak another group's language, I think. In human interactions, for example, there are African countries where the shared language is French, and people communicate in it. However, in the beginning of any conversation, you speak in the language of that region. It has to do with respect. "You care about relations between us enough to take the time to understand my language" (and with it, as often is the case, culture).

[(Anonymous)]

You've just hit my biggest pet peeve about the Star Trek universe. I've been a translator in 30 years, and machine translation has improved not one iota. Unless there's a singularity in computing where machines can actually think like human beings, there will never be a universal translator.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, Data.... And even keeping with Old Trek there's been multiple other thinking androids capable of thinking and talking and communicating (What Are little Girl's Made Of? and I, Mudd)

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah but who programs the universal translator? Who adds new languages? That's her man (in the comics she often does that)
Universal translators aren't perfect, you still need a linguist for several reasons. For instance, there are alien languages not spoken just vocally with words. In st:ID had she used an universal translator the kinglons wouldn't even let her talk, if he did it's because Uhura mimicked a body language that translated as bravery and respect for their language and them.
Her being a linguist was written in her character according to Nichols, but they never really showed that so the reboot did their homework and I'm glad they finally made it canon. Uhura's role is pretty cool when you think about it and the fact that translators cannot really replace her, I like it. I imagine she likes studying alien cultures too which makes her a better diplomat than the captain. To me, she is very star trek her role being specific to a time where communication is more important than ever.
She is a technician too, btw, she can repair broken relay links to start a communication/transmission with other ships or planets (she did that in st:ID ) and didn't Spock ask her to coordinate the technicians who removed khan's crew from the torpedoes?
So yeah, it's not mutually exclusive she can do both things.

[ariakas]

A linguist isn't the same thing as a translator - I imagine she's actually the one who programs/does the constant adjustments the universal translator would need, and handles anything it can't deal with.

But, speaking as a professional translator: yes, yes we absolutely will script-based have a universal translator in the future. The improvements simply of the public source software (comparing, say, Babelfish to Google Translate) within the last decade or so are astounding and if this development keeps apace, while I don't think all translators will be out of a job, a lot of them certainly will be.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know... when I plug stuff into Google translate it's still pretty nonsensical the majority of the time. There's still so much stuff we don't even understand about the structure of language. If we DO get working machine translation... we'll have hit the singularity because using language is basically what defines human intelligence.

I don't think it will happen in my lifetime.

really?

[(Anonymous)]

so you complainin' they didn't give her a less interesting and less unique job like...electrical engineer? REALLY? There must be tons of them on that ship, ask Scotty about that!
fandomsecretsbeliketumblr
people complain about anything and everything

I can't believe you believe a communication officer being a linguist expert is useless because ~'they have universal translators'~. As a linguaphile myself I find that insulting because I think her skills are important for a ship whose main goal is exploring new worlds and you know, communicate with other alien species whose languages are completely unknown. Uhura is like Daniel Jackson in Stargate, universal translator my ass.

Re: really?

[(Anonymous)]

SA

also, using your logic they wouldn't need an electrical engineer either because in the future robots are so advanced they can do that job they don't need to hire sentinel beings to repair stuff.
so basically, every person on that ship is useless including Scotty, Chekov, Sulu.. even McCoy and Spock because ANY of their work can get replaced by a machine/robot.

..and then the movie becomes 'I robot'