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Hey there, and good day!
I come to you, the great Paizo Community, in search of "actual translations" for some words in the languages found in-game. I think it would be much more flavorful to be able to tell my players:
"The Horned Devil shouts [something in Infernal]; a curse!" rather than "The Horned Devil shouts a curse at you."
Thanks in advance, guys/gals!
There is no English - Infernal dictionary I know of. There are bits of Elvish and Dwarven flying around in older (A)D&D material, but that's it mostly.
Make things up. For Infernal, use Latin.
Liberate tutemae ex inferis!
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Contributor
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I think Latin spoken with a harsh tone would be just fine. There are other languages that have a certain vocal shift to them that might work, too. Google's Translator might give you some ideas.
That said, I'm not sure I'd want to have specific words or phrases in Infernal.
Obviously, this is only my opinion, but I've always imagined that the "planar" languages (Celestial, Infernal, Abyssal, Ignan, Auran, etc.) were all somewhat "magical". Speaking the language of Evil or intoning the sounds made by creatures of living flame isn't something that most "normal" languages can duplicate.
In speaking them, you are tapping into an otherworldly force, causing your voice to sound different than normal speech. Infernal and Abyssal, in particular, would sound inherently wrong to a mortal listener. By attaching specific sounds or phrases to them, I think you run the risk of diluting the evil they represent.
In my mind, it's kind of like having someone talk about one of Lovecraft's "indescribable horrors" by telling you exactly what it looks like.
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Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Latin is going to be perfect!
That's a good point you bring up, though, Paris. I suppose that using Infernal was a bad example: I'm most likely going to use this for a mostly-unknown ancient language, nothing really "magical" :)
But yeah, I agree with you when it comes to the planar and elemental languages :D
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Contributor
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Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Latin is going to be perfect!
That's a good point you bring up, though, Paris. I suppose that using Infernal was a bad example: I'm most likely going to use this for a mostly-unknown ancient language, nothing really "magical" :)
But yeah, I agree with you when it comes to the planar and elemental languages :D
Cool. Have fun! I'm sure your players will enjoy the touches of realism you bring to the game.
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If a player gets into the languages side of things I tend to go for a bunch of obscure real world analogues
Draconic = Latin
Celestial = Welsh
Dwarfish = Cornish
Elvish = Gaelic
Infernal = Old Norse
You can keep going with this kind of stuff, I've never met a player (here in the UK) who speaks Magyar or Xhosa...
This only works due to the magic of online translators.
Fictional languages (Klingon, Tolkein stuff) can also do the trick.
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Hey there, and good day!
I come to you, the great Paizo Community, in search of "actual translations" for some words in the languages found in-game. I think it would be much more flavorful to be able to tell my players:
"The Horned Devil shouts [something in Infernal]; a curse!" rather than "The Horned Devil shouts a curse at you."
Thanks in advance, guys/gals!
you have already been given some ideas, still for quick descriptions you can also mention as the language, as harsh, cavernous and offensive to the ears... as if everything said was an obscenity to nature and offensive to the soul, or it sounds so full of legal technicism that it sounds binding as the chains of Hell. Abyssal of course is worst.
not just said the phrases or the action... describe how the characters feels as it is used:
for example
Hedrin’s instinctually reacted immediately. The inquisitor’s eyes shone with infernal power as the cavernous and unnatural voice filled the corridor again, cursing the assassin to a horrendous death in the obscene hell’s tongue.
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pedantry
Grammar amended:
Hedrin reacted instinctively: the inquisitor’s eyes shone with infernal power as the cavernous and unnatural voice filled the corridor again, cursing the assassin to a horrendous death in hell's obscene tongue.
Even then the end is unclear as to the object/subject relationships.
Developing your own lexicon of common words, keeping them in a similar styles, is a huge help for players who want that added immersion. I find that writing out common words helps to make-up or blind speak filler words.
Adding accents and imaginative fantasy tongues adds an entire new level of immersion for the players.
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If I need something to sound authentic in game, I generally use a mixture of Latin, Irish and Portuguese.
I just type the word or phrase I want in to one of the online translators and then meld each version together until it sounds like I want. In a 10 word sentence there may be 2 Irish words, 7 Latin and 1 Portuguese, or some other combination.
I've also used some of the online Elven and Klingon translators. Klingon mixed with Japanese and/or Arabic works really well for Orcs and other similar monsters/races.
These are all good suggestions, permit me to add my own.
In the case of Aklo, I find that using words derived from the feel of certain H.P. Lovecraft passages, such as the full version of the famed "Cthulhu ftagn!" would help emphasize its alien, insane nature.
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I've been doing this for ages. I'm multilingual (meaning fluent in French, getting there in Latin, and I know a little German and Spanish) and my players each know at least one foreign language. I don't so much use a set real-world language for each in-game language, though. If I have a player that speaks French, and his character understands a language the other characters don't, I speak French. Doesn't matter whether it's Orcish or Elven.
Of course, I've been known to scrawl my visual aids in Latin when ancient runes or Infernal is involved.
My go-to real-world analogues for fantasy languages have consistently been:
English = Common
Old English = Archaic Common
French = Elven
German = Dwarven
Latin = Draconic
Italian = Gnomish
Romani = Halfling
German = Dwarven
Nein.
Nein.
German = Dwarven
They're beer-loving miners with beards that'd make Paul Breitner suffer from follical envy. Of course they speak German.
(Besides, it's no longer permitted to use "nein" on the internet without linking to *that* clip from Unglorious basterds.)
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Nein.
German = Dwarven
They're beer-loving miners with beards that'd make Paul Breitner suffer from follical envy. Of course they speak German.
(Besides, it's no longer permitted to use "nein" on the internet without linking to *that* clip from Unglorious basterds.)
I would disagree with that since in general (at least in the US, in which said movie was produced and published) you cannot copywrite or trademark common words. Though it is in German, I would argue that "Nein" (translation "No") is most definitely a common word.
You can't copywrite "No" in English, why would you be able to in any other language?
Nein.
German = Dwarven
They're beer-loving miners with beards that'd make Paul Breitner suffer from follical envy. Of course they speak German.
(Besides, it's no longer permitted to use "nein" on the internet without linking to *that* clip from Unglorious basterds.)
I would disagree with that since in general (at least in the US, in which said movie was produced and published) you cannot copywrite or trademark common words. Though it is in German, I would argue that "Nein" (translation "No") is most definitely a common word.
You can't copywrite "No" in English, why would you be able to in any other language?
Back on topic, I think that while german is a very good dwarf-equivalent, plenty of harsh syllables. Norse and perhaps some Scottish overtones make for a good approximate as well.
I would disagree with that since in general (at least in the US, in which said movie was produced and published) you cannot copywrite or trademark common words. Though it is in German, I would argue that "Nein" (translation "No") is most definitely a common word.
You can't copywrite "No" in English, why would you be able to in any other language?
Joke.
They're beer-loving miners with beards that'd make Paul Breitner suffer from follical envy. Of course they speak German.
Who doesn't like beer?
And guys with big bards are usually considered creeps by us.
And mining's a thing of the past.
And our average size is rather larger than your average dwarf.
(Besides, it's no longer permitted to use "nein" on the internet without linking to *that* clip from Unglorious basterds.)
You know that this will only incite me to use it more.
Nein nein nein nein nein.
By the way, I just copyrighted Pathfinder, you cannot say it any more without adding "(KaeYoss is great)"! In its entirety, and original form, unchanged, nothing added, and so on.
Ha! Ich gewinne.