What is the Universal Translator?
The Universal Translator is a highly sophisticated computer program, although the term “Universal Translator” is almost always also taken to mean the device which contains it. The Universal Translator provides real-time two-way translation of spoken languages. The technical ability to exchange data is only part of what is needed to permit communication; a common set of symbols and concepts – a language – is equally important. This is difficult enough on a planet where individuals of the same species speak different languages, but it becomes a formidable task indeed when dealing with individuals from different planets who may share neither biology, culture, nor concepts. There are instances where the Universal Translator has failed to cope with certain languages or forms of communication (for Voyager’s experiences in that regard, this is discussed below, ‘Universal Translator limitations’). The Universal Translator is designed to first analyse the patterns of an unknown form of communic
