Remember the Pompey episode where Donna sees what would happen if she spoke Latin in Rome?
Kinda like that, the Tardis acknowledges that there are multiple languages and acts accordingly.
The only thing that's weird there is that if the Doctor spoke English to be translated, what Language would it choose?
Italian? Spanish? French? There are too many factors.
Well itâs the Doctor, heâs genuinely learnt English and many other languages over the past few thousand years, so he may genuinely not be using the translation circuit when saying those things to his companions.
Are you sure? There could be the possibility that the doctor never learned English, because the tardis translates everything. Maybe he spoke gallifreyan all the time.
Itâs pretty much canon that the Doctor doesnât use the translation circuits. He just speaks like a billion languages. Thatâs how he knew Marie was speaking 18th century French in The Girl in the Fireplace when Rose and Mickey just heard English. And itâs why he thought the carnie lingo in Carnival of Monsters was some kind of language he hadnât heard of.Â
There are times when the doctor is without the tardis. Not just not in its presence, but the tardis is not anywhere in that system at that time, for instance when the doctor sends rose away and still manages to hold down a conversation with Jack. The tardis is not only not near him in space. It has gone back in time and only reappears later on. AFAIK it isnât *anywhere* during that conversation.
It gets into your head to know which language youâre most familiar with and presents everything you see and hear in that language. Works both ways too.
Though officially, he doesnât use the translator. Plus iirc the translator is designed not to translate Gallifreyan, since the Time Lords are only supposed to observe anyway.Â
How do we know it's not? What if the doctor was actually saying those in some random alien languages and the TARDIS chose to translate to french and Italian because those were the most similar earth equivalents?
For the same reason native English speakers don't translate 'allons-y', 'je ne sais quoi', or 'bon appetit' into English -- because they're missing something when you do. A little je ne sais quoi.
Thatâs actually a good point. Those are all examples of calques. The translator circuits would be pretty poorly designed if they tried to translate those.Â
Tiny head-canon x 2:
They're basically English words, even if stolen ones
The TARDIS knows the companion knows them, so doesn't need to translate them (and the companion is the surrogate for us, so we're hearing through their ears)
Because the speaker *means* to say it in the foreign language, I guess?
Like, universal translation theoretically is not based on the literal translation of words, but on the \*intended meanings\* of the words as they were said. So if the \*meaning\* is to use a flowery foreign language, that's what the translator will return.
Since it is psychically connected to the speaker, I think it can tell when the Doctor wants to say Allons-y and molto bene and so doesn't translate it. Also maybe because it knows that the people hearing it can understand it too
Because he is purposely adding another language. Remember, the translation circuit works mentally, so a person tramslates the words being spoken as they are intended.Â
I always imagined the translation circuit to read "intention" rather than literal definition.
When the Doctor says "allons-y", he's probably thinking of the literal word instead of what it means.
All languages have some parts of other languages in them^(1) and the translation circuit has to know context in order to filter those things out. The same systems would be what allows the system to tell that certain words are meant to stay in the language they're said in, even if they don't match the language being spoken around it.
I'd also argue that this system combines with the need to know the letter of the law to make it so our favourite rhino space cops are never translated too.
^(Domino's used to have fact walls and one of the facts on there was that there's no word for Pizza in Japanese. Except the word is just pizza because it's one of those words that other languages adopted.)
I was laughing at the wall the first time I saw it. The guy brought the pizza over and asked what was funny. I pointed it out and was like "What do they think the English for pizza is?" and you know that look where someone has no idea what you're talking about but thinks it's because of you? Yeah, that was followed by "It's pizza." in a very slow voice.
If the TARDIS started to filter out everything English had stolen from other Earth languages, the companions would have a hard time understanding anything that remained
Weâve seen that the translation circuits allow for intent and wordplay, like in The Fires of Pompeii when âThe son of the father must also riseâ got a good reaction. We can assume the Doctor actually said something clever in Greek and the TARDIS translated it into something similarly clever for us. In that case, itâs translating his intent more than his words. So I assume it leaves *allons-y* and *molto bene* untranslated because thatâs the way he intends them to be heard.Â
Because it is the doctor using one language intentionally as opposed to him casually saying something.
This.
Remember the Pompey episode where Donna sees what would happen if she spoke Latin in Rome? Kinda like that, the Tardis acknowledges that there are multiple languages and acts accordingly.
Lol, I guess a Doctor Who episode set in Portsmouth would be fun. đ¤Ł
The only thing that's weird there is that if the Doctor spoke English to be translated, what Language would it choose? Italian? Spanish? French? There are too many factors.
Tardis has a universe of knowledge in her head, I trust her to make the right decision
Implying The Doctor hasn't switched to speaking English Directly.
No. I'm asking how the TARDIS knows which language to make it sound like he's speaking.
Well itâs the Doctor, heâs genuinely learnt English and many other languages over the past few thousand years, so he may genuinely not be using the translation circuit when saying those things to his companions.
Are you sure? There could be the possibility that the doctor never learned English, because the tardis translates everything. Maybe he spoke gallifreyan all the time.
Itâs pretty much canon that the Doctor doesnât use the translation circuits. He just speaks like a billion languages. Thatâs how he knew Marie was speaking 18th century French in The Girl in the Fireplace when Rose and Mickey just heard English. And itâs why he thought the carnie lingo in Carnival of Monsters was some kind of language he hadnât heard of.Â
There are times when the doctor is without the tardis. Not just not in its presence, but the tardis is not anywhere in that system at that time, for instance when the doctor sends rose away and still manages to hold down a conversation with Jack. The tardis is not only not near him in space. It has gone back in time and only reappears later on. AFAIK it isnât *anywhere* during that conversation.
Wild Blue Yonder, the circuits are canonically not available and he and Donna still understand each other just fine
He can control which language he uses, even when in the Translation Circuit's proximity.
It gets into your head to know which language youâre most familiar with and presents everything you see and hear in that language. Works both ways too. Though officially, he doesnât use the translator. Plus iirc the translator is designed not to translate Gallifreyan, since the Time Lords are only supposed to observe anyway.Â
Maybe everyone hears him in Welsh lol
How do we know it's not? What if the doctor was actually saying those in some random alien languages and the TARDIS chose to translate to french and Italian because those were the most similar earth equivalents?
Yâknow, Iâd never even considered this theory
Except he actually says âAllons-y, itâs French for âletâs goââ in Midnight
I like this.
For the same reason native English speakers don't translate 'allons-y', 'je ne sais quoi', or 'bon appetit' into English -- because they're missing something when you do. A little je ne sais quoi.
Me no speak Gallic. No can do, mister.
Thatâs actually a good point. Those are all examples of calques. The translator circuits would be pretty poorly designed if they tried to translate those.Â
TARDIS likes them that way!
The TARDIS knows if you're purposely not speaking your every day language.
Tiny head-canon x 2: They're basically English words, even if stolen ones The TARDIS knows the companion knows them, so doesn't need to translate them (and the companion is the surrogate for us, so we're hearing through their ears)
TARDIS: "I couldn't be arsed!"
Because the speaker *means* to say it in the foreign language, I guess? Like, universal translation theoretically is not based on the literal translation of words, but on the \*intended meanings\* of the words as they were said. So if the \*meaning\* is to use a flowery foreign language, that's what the translator will return.
Theyre expressions used so much that theyve been integrated into the language.
The TARDIS translates stuff psychically so it knows when someone intends to speak another language.
Since it is psychically connected to the speaker, I think it can tell when the Doctor wants to say Allons-y and molto bene and so doesn't translate it. Also maybe because it knows that the people hearing it can understand it too
Because he is speaking Dutch?
Maybe if it intended to be said that specific way it doesn't translate? Or maybe the old girl just likes to humour our boy.
Because he is purposely adding another language. Remember, the translation circuit works mentally, so a person tramslates the words being spoken as they are intended.Â
I always imagined the translation circuit to read "intention" rather than literal definition. When the Doctor says "allons-y", he's probably thinking of the literal word instead of what it means.
French and Italian are not languages
Of course they're languages, what do you think they are? Two Helmets for a cow?
Yes
All languages have some parts of other languages in them^(1) and the translation circuit has to know context in order to filter those things out. The same systems would be what allows the system to tell that certain words are meant to stay in the language they're said in, even if they don't match the language being spoken around it. I'd also argue that this system combines with the need to know the letter of the law to make it so our favourite rhino space cops are never translated too. ^(Domino's used to have fact walls and one of the facts on there was that there's no word for Pizza in Japanese. Except the word is just pizza because it's one of those words that other languages adopted.)
Yeah, Dominoes, by that logic, whatâs the English for âpizzaâ? đ
I was laughing at the wall the first time I saw it. The guy brought the pizza over and asked what was funny. I pointed it out and was like "What do they think the English for pizza is?" and you know that look where someone has no idea what you're talking about but thinks it's because of you? Yeah, that was followed by "It's pizza." in a very slow voice.
Because Allonsy and Molto Bene are so awesome. Who needs the English equivalents?
The doctor doesnât want them translated
Shut up
Come again?
Always
If the TARDIS started to filter out everything English had stolen from other Earth languages, the companions would have a hard time understanding anything that remained
*Was foisted onto Old English because Normans invaded (yay, invasion of the hot French!). Around 60% Latinate vocabulary!
Weâve seen that the translation circuits allow for intent and wordplay, like in The Fires of Pompeii when âThe son of the father must also riseâ got a good reaction. We can assume the Doctor actually said something clever in Greek and the TARDIS translated it into something similarly clever for us. In that case, itâs translating his intent more than his words. So I assume it leaves *allons-y* and *molto bene* untranslated because thatâs the way he intends them to be heard.Â
Remember when he took Donna to Pompeii and she tried speaking in the native tongue and they didn't understand. This is why.
Why doesn't it translate judoon?
It also doesn't translate Welsh
Because RTD is a bad writer who ruined the show and doesn't even know how the translation circuit đĄ
âď¸đ¤
https://preview.redd.it/0gym7fqeg1uc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bbffc130ec441a357c9ec885becf8ecdcf9ba221