"I think the inscription means 'Abandon Hops All Ye Who Enter Here?' Let me check my notes..."
- —Rufius Algorini, novice translator[2b]
This translator from the Old World can employ her fluency with multiple languages to bargain with the native populations of Lustria and decode the warnings of the Old Ones.
A translator, also known as an interpreter or linguist, is a literate man or woman of any nation or race who is skilled at speaking, reading and writing several different languages of the Known World. Most translators begin their careers studying a second language as scribes in one of the great cities of the Old World. Having no lack of work (the literacy rate is generally quite low in the Empire and other realms), these men and women have not only mastered the art of writing, but have found they could also learn to communicate with many different cultures in their own idioms.
Translators may have served as public scribes, but having little love for the city life, they volunteered their talents for an interesting life in service to a wizard, a great warrior, or even a vain thief whose story demands to be told.[1a]
Translators are expected to accurately translate what's said to them so the other party can understand the language. Translators may also record certain events, chronicling local happenings and the like. They also help to compose letters, translate letters from or into other languages from their native one and a number of other similar tasks.[1a]
Role[]
"They're saying 'the marsh is death.' But there's nuance to the meaning; their culture has many words for 'death.' I don’t think they're referring to our inevitable demise, but to the lingering taint of necromancy. How many wooden stakes did we bring with us?"
- —Geraltina Causs, experienced polyglot[2b]
Military expeditions that thoughtlessly butcher every stranger and curious native they meet are doomed to an appropriately violent demise. Communication is key to any successful enterprise, especially one undertaken on foreign soil. Intelligence from local guides can spare a company from environmental dangers, aggravated predators, and enemy manoeuvres. Unfortunately, language barriers can make attempts at dialogue extremely difficult, or even impossible. An interpreter with the knowledge to bridge this linguistic divide can be a vital expeditionary asset.[2a]
Interpreters may be residents of the Old World who embrace contact with other civilisations, or native-born peoples who emigrate to the Old World colonies established in the New World or the Southlands. Either way, their experience makes them uniquely positioned to facilitate cultural exchanges. As the world gets smaller, and demand for international trade increases, linguistics has evolved into a scholastic discipline. It is therefore possible for interpreters to practise languages of cultures they have never met.[2b]
Though learning from books provides a more limited understanding than practicing with native speakers, there are some languages -- such as High Nehekharan -- which can no longer be learned from living creatures. Approaching these dialects academically may be the only way to understand the warnings these civilisations left before their demise.[2b]
Culture Clash[]
An inexperienced translator may believe their job is simply to explain the meanings of words and inscriptions their clients do not understand. A successful interpreter understands this is but a fraction of their responsibilities. As the leading representative of their faction, interpreters set the tone of their interactions with other peoples, even if they're simply repeating the words of their commander.[2b]
They practice their elocution, diction, body language, and conversational awareness to make sure they always leave the right impression. Stories of negotiations degenerating into violence because of one misguided word choice contain enough truth to keep wary interpreters on edge.[2b]
Once someone acquires the skill for picking up a second language, they usually find it easier to learn more. Polyglots fluent in many languages can command higher rates for their services, especially in cosmopolitan areas like Marienburg, the Border Princes, Albion, or the New World colonies. Because one of the best ways to understand a culture is to study its writings, experienced interpreters are often well-read, and knowledgeable in a variety of subjects. They often surprise their companions with niche understanding of anthropological nuances, counter-intelligence codebreaking, and historical trivia.[2b]
The most respected interpreters transition into their home nation's diplomatic corps, representing their masters as envoys. But most interpreters associate with less rarefied company. They are stationed on the border, where cultural contact is most intense, and primed to escalate to violence. This is dangerous, frontier territory, and most interpreters learn basic survival skills, if only in self-defence.[2b]
Every culture requires interpreters to communicate with immigrants and trading partners, but the great maritime powers need their skills the most. As self-declared lords of the ocean, the High Elves of Ulthuan boast a substantial number of interpreters, condescending to learn the allegedly primitive tongues of other intelligent species.[2b]
Translators in Lustria[]
"We came upon a small, ruinous platform. On top of this were arrayed a group of Skinks and the larger and more ferocious warriors called Saurus. Sat in front of them on a golden carrying throne was a creature like a great. bloated toad. This I had not expected. though some Norsemen I had questioned back in the Old World had told me that such creatures existed and were indeed the priests and rulers of the Lizardmen. They were called Slann. I did not know whether this personage was the king of this region, or perhaps just a high official. The Skink nearest to the carrying throne spoke. At first I took his rasping words for their own language, then I realised that I was being welcomed in -- of all things -- Bretonnian! Fortunately I knew Bretonnian quite well, although it was very difficult to understand the Skink interpreter who could not get his reptile tongue around the words easily!"
- —Extract from The Tale of Marco Colombo, ca. 1492 IC[3a]
Those born and raised in Lustria hear a great many tongues, as travellers from all over the Known World arrive on their shores. However unwelcome these invaders are, most natives would rather bargain than be impaled upon their blades. Learning to say "We mean you know harm" in many languages is as valuable a piece of life-saving information as learning the dangers of the jungle.[2b]
Explorers may hire their interpreters from local populations, or find an appropriately learned individual in any of the Old World's largest ports. Mercenary companies recruit from many different backgrounds, outfitting Imperials, Kislevites, Tileans, Estalians, disinherited Bretonnians, and Dwarf fortune hunters in their formations. Though fluency in a specific tongue is often a requirement for joining the corps, it never hurts to have an interpreter on hand to communicate nuanced instructions that might be lost on non-native speakers.[2b]
The holy grail of any translator in Lustria is to converse with the Lizardmen. Whilst Skink translators can develop skill in the Human dialects of the Old World, non-Lizardmen struggle when attempting the growls, snorts, clicks, and whistles of Saurian. Written communication has been far more successful, and many interpreters specialise in producing the written Saurian glyphs and symbols that the Lizardmen use to keep records. If interpreters can find a way to convey peaceful intentions through this medium, it may be key to establishing a concord with the Lizardmen.[2b]
Notable Translators[]
- Huinipachutli - Scribe and translator, he was the Skink who had negotiated in Bretonnian language with the Tilean explorer, Marco Colombo.[3a]
Trivia[]
Rufius Algorini's surname and his quote "Abandon Hops All Ye Who Enter Here" noted above are both references to Dante Alighieri and his canticle (Inf. III, vv. 1-9) from the Divine Comedy.
According to the artist himself, Alessandro Boer, the image of the interpreter above makes two references to older artwork for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The morion helmet is a tribute to the helmets worn by the troops of Pirazzo's Lost Legion while the tattoo on her arm was present on another adventurer from the Old World who ventured into the unexplored wilds of the continent of Lustria.