For those who haven’t seen, The BBC have just dropped an official Gallifreyan Translator
https://www.doctorwho.tv/gallifreyan-translator
What’re people’s thoughts on this being a thing?
(Especially when it’s so clearly a very slightly adapted version of a fan made translator who isn’t credited in any way)
And also if people want to share any fun things they’ve translated, do so!!
It’s fun for about a minute and then you realise it’s nonsense and you can’t translate things back into English so what’s the point!
Also - if it is based on a fan’s efforts and they aren’t credited, that seems a bit off.
Yeahhhhh it’s not great
https://x.com/ProtagonistIvy/status/1846937740136395243/photo/1
The original creator wasn’t spoken to at all, let along not credited
(and the translations are the exact same, they’ve just changed up the vowels for the official one
I thought about this as well, but then I realised that that would be challenging. Gallifreyan consists of symbols, so how would you input them into the translator to turn them into English? Especially since they are usually found in pictures and very rarely (if ever) as regular text.
This is not good, not good at all. The BBC stealing someone’s work? Not a good look!
Just going to paste my thoughts from the other thread.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that a fan had actually devised the circular Gallifreyan language system (with grammar and everything), and that’s what the BBC has been using ever since?
I wish Doctor Who (oh boy here I go comparing it to Star Trek again
) had a less ornamental version of the language, like how Vulcan has a calligraphic script, a more utilitarian script, and also a handwriting script (and the language has also been completely transliterated into the Latin/English alphabet). These Gallifreyan symbols don’t seem very handy, both for in-universe use and for conlangers who’d like to be able to speak the language and write it in normal text conversation.
Nice, so I did have the right idea. I remember there being a blog from years ago where the person was developing the circular Gallifreyan language or some such thing. I’m surprised they weren’t consulted or hired in some form, but I’m sure with enough backlash they’d be compensated somehow.
The BBC has been using this script for a while, though. I wonder if they’ve ever brought up the rights issue with them before?
It’s nice. Gets a bit hard to read for longer messages.
Made a wanted ad for the Doctor.
“Calling all Timelords! Theres a bounty on the Doctor and his TARDIS Contact the high council if you spot him”
I much prefer the style that was written on the Doctor’s cot in A Good Man Goes to War:
So a sentence can be read left-to-right then it’s much easier to actually use. Something like this:
Also our website logo is based on this style.
Sherman’s looks much prettier when you actually connect all the letters properly, all spaced out like this looks a bit side
IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU’RE A TIME LORD
Dont know if it is true or not but if this is the translation it is not that fun…
Source: x.com
“Hello! Ham and Cheese Toastie and a Pumpkin Latte?”
It seems to have been a tease for the Official Gallifreyan Translator.
Delta and the Bannermen is the best story and anyone who does not think so is obviously wrong
I mean this is obviously nonsense, right?
It would have been fun if it worked to translate both ways. But this is just meaningless.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that a fan had actually devised the circular Gallifreyan language system (with grammar and everything), and that’s what the BBC has been using ever since?
I wish Doctor Who (oh boy here I go comparing it to Star Trek again ) had a less ornamental version of the language, like how Vulcan has a calligraphic script, a more utilitarian script, and also a handwriting script (and the language has also been completely transliterated into the Latin/English alphabet). These Gallifreyan symbols don’t seem very handy, both for in-universe use and for conlangers who’d like to be able to speak the language and write it in normal text conversation.
