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Currently the culture skill states
Culture (Int; Trained Only)
You are a student of the vast number of known cultures in the galaxy, and you have a deep and rich understanding of the undercurrents of cultures and language in general. Each time you take a rank in Culture, you learn to speak and read a new language. See page 41 for a list of common languages.
Skilled Linguist (Ex; Culture)
You can speak and read a number of bonus languages equal to your ranks in Culture. Additionally, when you attempt a Culture check to decipher writing, you can forgo your expertise die to attempt the check as a full action (rather than the normal 1 minute) per approximately 250 words of writing or fewer.
Is one of these a typo?
Or is it supposed to be double your ranks in Culture?
Or is it the total point of ranks in the Culture skill? (How would this work with temporary bonuses to Culture?)
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This is how I read that.
The Skilled Linguist feat would add an additional number of languages on top of what you would already have from your ranks in culture. So it would approximately double what you already have. You should get a language or three automatically, and those wouldn't be doubled by the feat.
Example:
Kasatha character
automatic languages: Common, Kasatha
culture skill ranks: 2, so knows two more languages.
Skilled Linguist: adds two more languages.
So a total of 6 languages known.
Temporary bonuses to culture wouldn't actually increase your ranks in the skill, so wouldn't affect the number of languages added by Skilled Linguist.
Edit: Also note that the number of languages learned is based on the number of ranks in culture, not the total modifier to culture. So not including the values from stat modifier, skill focus, or anything else.
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I'm with breithauptclan - that answer is correct across the board. I think you're reading to hard to find a problem.
The culture ranks give you bonus languages. Skilled Linguist gives you more bonus languages on top of that. It does exactly what it says.
As for temporary bonuses, you just answered your own question. You gain languages based on *ranks* in culture. Temporary bonuses are *bonuses*; they are not the same as actual ranks. Even the bonus you get for a skill being a class skill is a bonus, not ranks.
Universal translators aren't a thing in Starfinder to my understanding, so very useful.
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...learning your languages in advance, when you gain them, instead of scribbling it onto your character sheet when you find out that you'll need it is pretty standard. I don't understand why you would say it shouldn't be the case.
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I second what Hammerjack says here. Your learned languages are added at character creation and when leveling up. There is no saving them for when you need them and then adding them.
There are abilities to allow you to speak with others when you don't know there language.
Quick Pidgin from the Xenoseeker comes to mind.