Theories on why everyone speaks English?

[ShadowMaat]

So how come all the aliens everyone encounters speak English? Golly gee, isn't that a bit convenient?? Why not have it more realistic and have them speaking another language so that it's impossible to communicate with them?

There. Now you have your own topic. Leave the Czechs alone.

[veneticuss]

Oh at least somebody started it.

Yeah really, I'd love to spend first 30min of each episode watching how they are trying to find out how to communicate with those aliens.

[John Galt]

Marketability of the show perhaps? You have to sacrifce reality when dealing with sci-fi anyway. Enjoy the ride and the wonderful world they've presented. And just as an aside, once in a great while it bugs me as well but then I come back to my statement above.

[deezlwex]

Doesn't need to take 30 minutes. Why when the Stargate team went to Russia, in Watergate, Marina Sirtis' character actually had to comment that she had previously learned English? Why when Daniel Jackson got captured in South America, did he speak Spanish? Yet they go to another FREAKIN' planet, and there is NO explanation. We have several times on Stargate (not yet Atlantis) heard G'uould (spelling, sorry) and Russina with no subtitles, but we knew what was going on.

I was particularly amused in "2001" when they needed the Aschen to translate the one word ("sterile") that was in the natives' newspaper that Daniel found? WHY NOT ask the natives? It's their language. See my point - it adds a HUGE "cheese factor" to an otherwise great show.

Anything...UT, advanced tech, anything...throw us a bone here. My point is is that LANGUAGE is an integral part of Stargate. How come Teyla's people speak English with no explanation, but when a prayer in Ancient starts, everyone seems suprised? It should be just the opposite.

Star Trek addressed the issue (UT), Farscape addressed the issue (translator microbes), I want to see what I otherwise consider to be the BEST SciFi out there, SG and Atlantis, address the issue.

[TechnoBoY]

So we can understand what the hell they are saying. Learning languages from scratch takes a long time and it would be boring. Its scifi, leave it be.

[deezlwex]

Did you NOT just read my above post? Good grief. All I want is an "in-universe" explantion, and I'll NEVER bug you guys again!

Yeah, right.......

[TechnoBoY]

Okay. Well most of the people we meet are of western origin right? Well old languages evolved into English. So maybe people from the gate went throough the same process and ended with an english like language. Which is pretty easy to learn and stuff. Hows that?

[deezlwex]

Well, it's weak, but it's something......

[deezlwex]

I think another reason it bugs me is that when they have the occssional show that really deals with the inability to communicate, then go back the "wink wink" we can all understand each other, it throws credibility out the window.

For now, I'll just pretend that everyone read the backstory on the main page, and that UT technology was found.

[Lugal]

Doesn't need to take 30 minutes. Why when the Stargate team went to Russia, in Watergate, Marina Sirtis' character actually had to comment that she had previously learned English? Why when Daniel Jackson got captured in South America, did he speak Spanish? Yet they go to another FREAKIN' planet, and there is NO explanation. We have several times on Stargate (not yet Atlantis) heard G'uould (spelling, sorry) and Russina with no subtitles, but we knew what was going on.

The difference being you can go to any bookstore and pick up a Russian or Spanish dictionary or phrasebook, but we'll know nothing about an alien language until we actually go there. In the First Ones we see an archeological team exploring the planet. I assume on planets where we mantain friendly relations a sociological team would remain behind and study the planet's language.

Star Trek addressed the issue (UT), Farscape addressed the issue (translator microbes), I want to see what I otherwise consider to be the BEST SciFi out there, SG and Atlantis, address the issue.

I agree and wish they would address it, but since it's in the here and now it's kind of hard for them to do. (although I wish they would have the scene on Atlantis where they find a UT). Also from a production standpoint it would be time consuming for them to make up a few words and phrases of a language each week for a one shot, never to be seen again. Which is why they only do it for languages that are important enough to appear through the series like Goa'uld and Ancient (although there are numerous errors I see with Ancient, but that's another post)

For my attempt at an in-universe explanation: Most of the humans they encountered are from Earth, speaking languages derived from earth languages which we do know about. Daniel is familiar with these languages and can figure them out, allowing them to communicate, and they just don't show these scenes due to time. (Weak I know, but its the best I can do)

[deezlwex]

"In the First Ones we see an archeological team exploring the planet. I assume on planets where we mantain friendly relations a sociological team would remain behind and study the planet's language."

Yes, I don't have an issue with situations like that, it's the "first contact" scenarios that bug me.

[sshspooky]

the UT in Star Trek is not an effective solution, as sometimes the characters speak Klingon etc and everything should be translated. I think the simplest explanation is that there is an unknown reason why they all speak english, and that not even the characters know why.

[deezlwex]

"the UT in Star Trek is not an effective solution, as sometimes the characters speak Klingon etc and everything should be translated"

I know, that bugs me too. I realize not everything works all the time - there are many times in Trek (alien prison planets, etc) where they DON'T have there communicators or comm badges, but they can speak, but, like I said, at least the producers have ATTEMPTED an explanation for most of the time.

[sshspooky]

I realize not everything works all the time - there are many times in Trek (alien prison planets, etc) where they DON'T have there communicators or comm badges, but they can speak, but, like I said, at least the producers have ATTEMPTED an explanation for most of the time.

In my opinion i'd rather they leave it a mystery then give us a flawed explanation.

[Anthro Girl]

It's not a mystery. It's a tee-vee show.