movie - How is the universal translator device in Star Trek supposed to work?

It is stated that Star Trek characters can talk freely with aliens using the universal translators, later built-in their com badges; but is it also mentioned somewhere how this device is supposed to work?

Answer

It isn't consistent. The existence of this tech is almost always a way to explain away the problem of inter-species communication. One ST:TNG episode, Darmok goes deeper. And I would watch that one if you are interested in a deeper understanding on inter-species communication. And it is the one episode that explains, in detail, what the universal translator really does. It sees patterns in language and identifies the other words that the alien words mean. However it doesn't understand metaphor.

It is basically magic.

Like Mike Scott says, the alternative is every episode being about learning a new language. The show would have been about language, not what the show is about now.

Comments

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