The Language of the Future, Language of the Cyberpunk Age

[cyberpunkforever]

The Language of the Future, Language of the Cyberpunk Age

Hello there, cyberpunk people,

in the movie Blade Runner, there is a new world language, made of the most spoken languages of the world, it consists of chinese, english, german, spanish, and some others,

what about having a similar "future language" in the game?

everyone would recognize something when hearing it, it'd be funny but hard to make, i think :s

 

[lv-426]

I actually would prefer if they went with the initial concept that everyone speaks in their respective mother tongue or dialect and that, if you want to (fully) understand you'd have to get yourself a translator implant.

As of yet no decisions have been made, but we're thinking about a system that could tell the world's story. The idea is to record everything in original languages, i.e. if we'll meet Mexicans in the game, they'll be taking -- Mexican slang even, portrayed by Mexican actors. The player would be able to buy a translator implant, and depending on how advanced it is, he'll get better or worse translation.

You can't reliably recreate street slang of Los Angeles or some other American city, you can't simply dub it and reproduce those emotions, rhythm of speech, mannerisms. Everything has to be cohesive. Otherwise we'd simply hear that Polish actors are trying to imitate Americans. That won't work.

Can't think of any other game that had something like this. Would be stupid to let it slip.

 

[227]

Quiero stab du in the visage for this dom idea. I don't know or care if any of that is actually right, but the point is that Spanglish + would probably become annoying after several hours. Or minutes. Or lines.

Doesn't 2020 already have a distinct way of speaking, anyway?

 

[braindancer12]

please no....

as 227 said thats something which becomes annoying after several hours or less

this brings back my memories of Cloud Atlas.............terrible

 

[Decatonkeil]

I mean, I find things like Newspeak in 1984 interesting and all, but maybe because they're in a book. It kinda becomes not only a part of world building but a mystery in and of itself, trying to decode it when you learn some of its rules, and It would be interesting to see other takes on how language could have evolved. I can think that in a modern cyberpunk setting, a possibility, would be that the preponderance of a certain strong language and the use of direct translators that use it as a middle language for every translation, would have enacted a kind of cultural genocide of other languages that would have evolved in such a way that they ould only be expressed and understood comparatively with that language: that is, things like google translate do their translation using English as the middle language, which means that if for example you want to translate something from Italian to Spanish, two romance languages, the translation would be Italian > English > Spanish, which makes a lot of more easily translatable information and nuance to be lost in translation.

But is a videogame like CP2077 the place to explore these things? I'm not so sure. It could get in the way of the player enjoying the game and the dialogue a lot. Even in 1984 or in Blade Runner, its artificial languages were in such a state of early implementation that it allowed for the practical entirety of the dialogue and text to be conducted in the language of the audience.

 

[Suhiira]

All languages evolve over time. Look at what was the common spoken language in whatever country you are in 100 years ago and look at how we speak today. Since CP2077 is set around 50 years in the future I'd expect some differences, particularly in commonly used slang, but it would by no means be the semi-intelligible garble most movies seem to assume.
As to a language many people know as a second language, we already have one, English. And in 50 years that's not likely to change much. 200 years ago it was French, and before that Latin.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

I'm more than happy to have a dozen or so languages spoken, along with new slang, (which would certainly arise - just look at text speak.) I am all for translator chips and what not, the CDPR vision sounds awesome. But a weird hybrid amalgamated language, not a chance. I hated the 6th segment of Cloud Atlas because "Yibber" did my head in.

The language in Blade Runner isn't a full language, its a mashup of various languages spoken by what equates to 'street scum'.

https://web.archive.org/web/20130507121611/http://www.brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_Language.htm

- NOODLE BAR SCENE -
{Rainy, busy street scene. Deckard reading newspaper while waiting for a spot to open up at the White Dragon Noodle Bar.}



Blimp: A new life awaits you in the Off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure.
Sushi Master: {To a customer} Nan ni shimasho ka. [Japanese: "What'll it be?" Note: "Nan" is colloquial shortening of "Nani", so the translation given is less formal than the "What would you like to have?" it would be otherwise. Thanks to Gary for that distinction.]
Blimp: A new life awaits you in the Off-World Colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure. Lets go to the Colonies!

<<OV only>>
Blimp: New climate, recreational facilities ...


Deckard (voiceover): They don't advertise for killers in the newspaper. That was my profession. Ex-cop, ex-blade runner, ex-killer.
Blimp: ... absolutely free.
<<End OV>>
<<DC only>>
Blimp: This announcement has been brought to you by the Shimago-Dominguez Corporation. Helping America into the New World.
<<End DC>>
Blimp: {Continues over some of the following dialogue} Use your new friend as a personal body servant or a tireless field hand - the custom tailored genetically engineered humanoid replicant designed especially for your needs. So come on America, lets put our team up there ...
Sushi Master: {To Deckard} akimashita, akimashita! Irasshai, irasshai! [Japanese: "(The seat’s) free, (it’s) free!" Welcome, welcome!" Note: Akimashita is the past tense of "aku" - to become free". Although it sounds like "kimashita" this is in fact the past tense of "come", i.e. "came", and "Came, came!" is thus an unlikely translation. The Sushi Master gestures to the empty seat and effectively says, "The seat’s opened up! There’s a seat for you here!" - Thanks to Gary for the information.]
{Deckard goes over to Sushi Bar.}
Sushi Master: Sa dozo. [Japanese: "Come, please." (sit down here)]

{Deckard sits where Sushi Master indicates.}
Sushi Master: Nan ni shimasho ka. [Japanese: "What'll it be?"]
Deckard: {Points} Give me four.
Sushi Master: Futatsu de jubun desu yo. [Japanese: "Two is enough!"]
Deckard: No. Four. Two, two, four.
Sushi Master: Futatsu de jubun desu yo. [Japanese: "Two is enough!"]
Deckard: {Resignedly} And noodles.
Sushi Master: Wakatte kudasai yo. [Japanese: "Please understand!" (Actually implying (mildly) sarcastically, "Can't you understand?") He knows Deckard by name, so this is probably a familiar jibing between the two.]
<<OV only>>
Deckard (voiceover): Sushi, that's what my ex-wife called me. Cold fish.
<<End OV>>



Policeman: Hey, idi-wa. [Korean: "Hey, come here." {Thanks to Mark Taylor for confirmation.}]
Gaff: Monsieur, azonnal kövessen engem bitte. [French-Hungarian-German: "Sir, follow me immediately please!" (Thanks to eMU for translating the Hungarian part:- "azonnal" - means immediately; "kövessen" - means follow imperative; "engem" - means me. And of course "Monsieur" is French for Sir and "bitte" is German for please.)]



{Deckard gestures to Sushi Master to translate. (The script had Deckard not understanding the original Japanese. The subsequent voiceover said of course he actually understood Cityspeak. So whether he really understands or not is pretty much your choice!)}
Sushi Master: He say you under arrest, Mr. Deckard.

Deckard: You got the wrong guy, pal.
Gaff: Lófaszt, nehogy már. Te vagy a Blade ... Blade Runner. [Hungarian: "Horsedick, no way! You are the Blade ... Blade Runner." (Thanks to Adam H. and eMU for confirming this Hungarian.)]
Sushi Master: He say you 'Brade Runner'.
Deckard: Tell him I'm eating.
Gaff: Captain Bryant toka. Me ni omae yo. ["Japanese": "Captain Bryant wants to see your mug in front of his immediately!" (This is a very loose translation and is definitely Cityspeak rather than straight Japanese.) Note: The first part could actually be a strangulation of "Captain Burayanto ga" - grammatically meaning Captain Bryant is the subject of the sentence. "Me ni omae yo" may be a sort of pun. "Me ni mae" means to meet someone. "omae" is the very informal use of "you" - in Japanese, this is significant. "yo" - Exclamation - Japanese doesn't use the '!' punctuation. Thanks to Michael J. Simon for helping out with this line. However, note that this is an attempt at translation and as it stands is not standard Japanese. (Could this actually contain some other Oriental language?) Thanks to Gary for the additional info.]
Deckard: Bryant, huh?

Gaff: Hai! [Japanese: "Yes!"]
{Deckard and Gaff leave in spinner.}

Players want to understand whats going on, and I can imagine a lot of people becoming bilingual in the cyberpunk future, they are in many of the books. Interestinly, European people often are bilingual, it's just us English that refuse to learn other languages.

 

[Sardukhar]

Language chips are pretty common - anyone with the ubiquitous neuralware plug can run one. Basic comprehension. More expensive ones are more effective. None are as good as fluency.

Someone with a chipware socket can hold up to 10 chips.

 

[Suhiira]

... European people often are bilingual, it's just us English that refuse to learn other languages.

Not so much refuse as "why bother".
90% of the time you can find someone that speaks passable English anywhere in the world you happen to be.
So make is "lazy" not refuse :wisegirl:

 

[cyberpunkforever]

i have not seen the movie cloud atlas, but i find very interesting the language chips or augmentations to unterstand or speak other languages, maybe to interact with other nps the character must get the language chip or the augmentations to be capable to comunicate in other languags or dialect or even if robots or androids develop their own language... technology will certainly accelerate the evolution of languages

 

[Maelcom404]

Why not make them all mute?

 

[RiseOfRose1]

As long as I hear the word 'bruh' I'm good.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

 

[Dr. LaBrat]

As long as I hear the word 'bruh' I'm good.

don't forget "schway"