Maybe, but not as presented on Trek. Present day computers are capable of roughly translating documents from one language to another in seconds. Hand-held computers have been developed to translate words spoken in one language to another. It won’t be long before telephone calls made between different countries will feature automatic translation. In all these cases, however, we’re working with two known languages and two known sets of grammatical rules. That won’t be the case if and when we encounter alien species in outer space.
According to The Star Trek: The Next Generation—Technical Manual, the Universal Translator is a very sophisticated computer program that analyzes patterns of unknown languages and then comes up with a system to translate our speech into that language. This is done by obtaining large samples of aliens speaking with each other, so the program can study usage patterns, vocabulary, syntax and so on. It all sounds very logical. Too bad it makes no sense.
Computers are wonderful code-breakers, the finest such devices in the universe. But languages are not codes. Conversations without reference points do not necessarily illuminate what they are about. For example, try watching a Japanese film without subtitles. When two Samurai meet in a noodle shop, are they discussing the weather, the best way to kill a man, the politics of the town, whether the girl serving them noodles is attractive, or the meaning of the universe? Any of these conversations is equally possible, and they all sound quite similar. Japanese can’t be learned by assembling a huge library of conversations and then analyzing them by a computer. It’s like the 1950s science-fiction movies where the aliens claim to have learned to speak English by watching our television shows. Unfortunately I Love Lucy doesn’t work as a language primer. Something more is necessary. A key. A Rosetta stone.
When humans encounter an alien race, there is not automatically a third species that knows both languages and can serve as a bridge between them. Nor is every race in Star Trek telepathic (though for simplicity’s sake, it seems that an awful lot of them are!). Are we forced to conclude that the Universal Translator is no more than a neat gimmick? Not entirely but almost.
In the classic science-fiction story “Omnilingual,” by H. Beam Piper,5 the author addresses the problem of translating an alien language into English. Making it even more difficult on the archaeologists, the language in question is Martian and the inhabitants of the red planet have been dead for forty thousand years, leaving behind a ruined civilization. The question raised in the story is pretty much the same we are faced with in the Universal Translator. How do you decipher an alien language without a tongue common to both civilizations? Piper came up with the answer and it’s as true now as it was forty years ago and will be true three centuries in the future. Science and mathematics.
Despite differences in culture, society, philosophy, and patterns of speech among civilizations, our atomic table of elements is always the same. The atomic structure of water, H20, is identical everywhere in the universe. The sum of 2 + 2 = 4 cannot change. The basic laws of physics and mathematics are the same throughout the universe. They form a universal language.
Using basic building blocks of scientific and mathematical terminology, a fairly detailed dictionary of words can be constructed. With AI computers, working at incredible speeds, extrapolating terms dealing with the manipulation of such words would follow quickly. In days, perhaps hours, a simple but useful glossary could be constructed, and from there, with continued dialogue between species, a true Universal Translator could be devised.
That’s not the way it’s done on Star Trek. At least, we never see it handled in such a manner. The Technical Manual offers us a magic wand but nothing practical. Still, the method we describe is one possible way it might work in the future.
Like many of the devices displayed on Star Trek, the Universal Translator is possible. The key is that it must rely on real computer technology and logic. But, like many of the inventions shown on the series, it is coming. The Star Trek future is on the way. Most likely, sooner than we think.
Notes
Chapter One
1 “More Storage, Please,” by Mark Halper, http://www.forbes.com, July 7, 1997.
Chapter Two
1 Rick Sternach and Michael Okuda, Star Trek: The Next Generation—Technical Manual (New York: Pocket Books, 1991).
2 David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach (San Mateo, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc., 1990). See pages 199-201 for a quick introduction to processors.
3 Star Trek: The Next Generation—Technical Manual, page 49.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Rick Sternach and Michael Okuda, Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future (New York: Pocket Books, 1997).
7 “More Storage, Please,” Forbes, July 7, 1997.
8 Ibid.
Chapter Three
1 “Onward Cyber Soldiers,” by Douglas Waller and Mark Thomas, Time, August 21, 1995, pp. 38-46.
2 http://www.gilc.org/privacy.
3 Bruce Schneier, Applied Cryptography, Second Edition (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1996).
4 Bruce Schneier and David Banisar, The Electronic Privacy Papers (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1997).
5 Dr. Dobb’s Journal, December 1998.
6 http://www.ddj.com, Dr. Dobb’s Journal, December 1998, article written by Bruce Schneier.
Chapter Four
1 http://www.stricom.army.mil/.
Chapter Five
1 Rodney Brooks, “Elephants Don’t Play Chess,” Robotics and Autonomous Systems, (North Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1990). Also: Rodney Brooks, “New Approaches to Robotics,” Science, (September 3, 1991).
Chapter Six
1 http://www.robotstore.com/mwmars.htm.
Chapter Seven
1 Rick Sternach and Michael Okuda, Star Trek: The Next Generation —Technical Manual (New York: Pocket Books, 1991).
Chapter Eight
1 Maryann Karinch, Telemedicine, (Horizon Press, 1995), Introduction.
2 Ibid.
3 “Smart T-Shirts Know When Something Is Wrong,” USA Today, 17 November 1998, p. 10D.
4 Lawrence M. Krauss, The Physics of Star Trek (New York: Basic Books, 1995).
5 H. Beam Piper, “Omnilingual,” Astounding Science Fiction (January 1957).
Index
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
Alexander (son of Worf)
Alife (artificial life)
“Alter Ego” (VGR)
Analog signals
Androids
feasibility of
and vision
“Apple, The” (TOS)
Applied Cryptology
“Arena” (TOS)
“Arsenal of Freedom, The” (TNG)
Artificial intelligence
bottom-up
and characters in Holodeck
Dartmouth College conference on
and LCARS
top-down
and voice recognition
Artificial life
Arturis, and breaking of encryption codes
Aurora
“Babel” (DS9)
Banisar, David
Barclay, Reg
Bashir, Doctor Julian
and holodeck
and repatterning of DNA
shrinking to enter computer console
Battle Simulation Center
Bell Labs
“Best of Both Worlds, The” (TNG)
Binary switching
Biobeds
Biochemical lubricants
Bioelectric fields, and security
Biometric Consortium
Biometric encryption
Biometric Handshape Recognition
Biometrics
international use of
“Birthright, Part 1” (TNG)
Bodynets
Body networks
“Booby Trap” (TNG)
Borg
and battling Species 8472
Queen
Bottom-up artificial intelligence table
Brahms, Dr. Lea
Brain
and comparison with computer
and location of consciousness
and neurons
positronic
Brooks, Rodney, and bottom-up artificial intelligence
“Brothers” (TNG)
Bynars
capture of Enterprise
and reliance on computers
Cardassians
“Cause and Effect” (TNG)
Central processing unit (CPU)
Cestus
“Changeling, The” (TOS)
“Chase, The” (TNG)
Chemical signature
“Child, The” (TNG)
“Civil Defense” (DS9)
Clock cycle time
“Clues” (TNG)
COBOL programming language
Cochrane
Cogley, Samuel T.
Collective and the Borg
Communicator badges
and security
Compatibility, computer
Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach (Patterson and Hennessy)
Computers
based on DNA
design of
first generation (1945-1956) (vacuum tubes)
fourth generation (1971-now) (microprocessor)
of the future
second generation (1956-1963) (transistors)
third generation (1964-1971) (silicon chips)
“Conscience of the King, The” (TOS)
“Conspiracy” (TNG)
Controller
Core elements (of main processing core)
figure
Core memory
figure
“Cost of Living” (TNG)
“Court Martial” (TOS)
Crime
Crusher, Beverly, Dr.
and the Borg
and Data
Crusher, Wesley
Cryptology, and the future
Cybernetic implants
Cybernetics
Cyberwar
See also War
D’Arsay code
Data, Lieutenant Commander(n)
and bottom-up thinking
and comparison to holodeck characters
and creation of android Lal
and Dr. Moriarty
and electrical current
and encryption
and exocamp servomechanisms
and faults of linear logic
feasibility of
and human emotions
and if-then artificial intelligence
and interfacing
and Juliana Tainer
and music and the arts
and positronic brain
and Spot
and top-down thinking
and vision
Data Encryption Standard (DES)
“Data’s Day” (TNG)
Dax, Science Officer Jadzia
“Deadly Years, The” (TOS)
Death Star
Decision tree
figure
Dedicated Optical Link
Deep Blue
Deep Space Nine
and blockade by Dominion
and changes from the original series
Deep Space Nine, computer system
architecture of
Chief O’Brien’s overriding of computer of
as heart of
and personal privacy
Defiant
Dermal regenerator
Dertouzos, Michael
“Descent, Part 2” (TNG)
“Devil’s Due” (TNG)
“Disaster” (TNG)
Diseases, exotic
Distributed Processing Network (DPN)
figure
and Optical Data Network, figure
DNA, computers based on
“Doctor BashirPresume?” (DS9)
Dominion
and desire to rule other worlds
and encrypted messages
and war activities
“Drumhead, The” (TNG)
Edmonds, Dean
Electrical current
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Privacy Papers, The
“Elementary, Dear Data” (TNG)
Emergency Holographic Medical Doctor
Encryption
biometric
Star Trek codes of
“Enemy Within, The” (TOS)
ENIAC computer
Enterprise
computers on original versus later generations
description of computers of
and holodecks and holosuites
and importance of its computer
monitoring of conversations on
networking design of
and security
Enterprise-D
and bottom-up artificial intelligence
and D’Arsay computer code
numbers of crew of
“Ethics” (TNG)
Eugenics
“Evolution” (TNG)
“Eye of the Needle” (VGR)
Facial Action Coding System (FACS)
Facial recognition technology
Faster-than-light (FTL) speed
and Data
and Distributed Processing Network (DPN)
and linked computers
and main processing unit
and nanoprocessor
“Favor the Bold” (DS9)
Feasibility
of androids (Data)
of holodeck
of tricorders
of Universal Translator
Fingerprint recognition
First Contact
and the Borg
and cloned implants
and Data’s emotions
and holodecks
and size of Federation
“Fistful of Datas, A” (TNG)
Flexinol “Muscle Wire,”
Fontaine, Johnny
Food replicators
Forbidden Planet
FORTRAN programming language
FTL. See Faster-than-light (FTL) speed
Future
accurate depiction of
and body networks
and computers
as good television
and science fiction
“Future Imperfect” (TNG)
Gallium arsenide
Gammma Hydra IV research colony
Garak
Garth, Captain
Generations
Genetic codes
Genetic engineering
Genghis
Genomes and artificial life
Geordi. See LaForge, Geordi
Gigaquad
Gorm
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Graves, Ira
Hackers, computer
Heartbeats and security
Herbert the robot
“Heroes and Demons” (VGR)
Hesselink, Lambertus
Hill, Dixon
“Hollow Pursuits” (TNG)
Holodeck
and characters with artificial intelligence
feasibitity of
and interactions between characters and people
and magnetic bubble matter
and replicated objects
and system malfunction
Holograms, living
Holographic floppy disk, figure
Holographic Medical Doctor
Holographic structures, as holders of data
Holosuites See also Holodeck
“Homefront” (DS9)
“Hope and Fear” (VGR)
Human element and war in space
Humanism and computers
Humanoid intelligence, comparison with top-down and bottom-up, table
“I, Borg” (TNG)
“I, Mudd.” (TOS)
If then artificial intelligence
“Inheritance” (TNG)
“In Purgatory’s Shadow” (DS9)
Insurrection
Intel 4004 chip
Intel and 1997 supercomputer
International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA)
Internet, compared to Optical Data Network
Internet service provider, and micron junction link
Inter-Vehicle Embedded Simulation Technology (INVEST)
“In Theory” (TNG)
Iris prints
Isolinear optical chips. See Optical isolinear chips
Jack the Ripper
Janeway, Captain Kathryn
Java programming language
Jayaraman, Sundaresan
Jeffries tubes
Jem’Hadar warriors
Jenkins, Philip
“Journey to Babel” (TOS)
Karidian, Anton
Kasparov, Gary
Kazon
Kes, Medical Assistant
Kiloquads
Kim, Ops/Communications Officer Harry
Kirk, James T., Captain
and balance of rationality and humanism
and “Court Martial,”
and Nomad
and top-down artificial intelligence
Klingon
Kodos the Executioner
Koiram, Sima
Kraus, Lawrence M.
Kress computer
LaForge, Geordi
and Data
repairs to computers(n)
Lal
Landis, Geoffrey
Landru
and artificial intelligence
Language
Lantree (starship)
“Last Outpost, The” (TNG)
LCARS. See Library computer access and retrieval software
“Legacy” (TNG)
Legos
Ley, Willy
Library computer access and retrieval software (LCARS)
and artificial intelligence
and communication with controller
and Distributed Processing Network
interface of
and memory access