Why do the other races speak fluent english in the Mass Effect trilogy?

[sillycreature]

I know the devs probably did this so they didn't have to come up with an original language for each alien race in the game but I'm curious if there is some sort of lore reasoning behind this?

[Septimus-Prime]

I wondered that too, why do they speak fluent English? That's a very good question....

[K V C Z I]

They don't, everyone has an universal translator, its persumably a small implant that translates every language to your own in real time
its explained in this entry in detail:
https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Codex/UPDATE:_Bring_Down_the_Sky

Bioware actually recorded a couple of alien languages and are leftover in the game files. You can find them here:
https://lyricsaboutcats.tumblr.com/post/627664140518981632/this-is-a-sampling-of-the-leftover-alien-language

[SpaceWombat]

Yes there's a lore reason. The races in Mass Effect use realtime translators. These exist as implants or small devices which insert into the ear or clothing. I believe there's a codex entry explaining this in ME1.

So when you hear aliens speaking english that's supposed to represent the output of the translator as Shepard hears it.

*edit: For future reference most sci-fi series which don't specify translators are involved have your localized language represent the common language for the time. A good example of this would be how in Dune "Galach" is the actual language the characters in-universe speak despite the books being written in English.

[Septimus-Prime]

Originally posted by Kuuczi:

They don't, everyone has an universal translator, its persumably a small implant that translates every language to your own in real time
its explained in this entry in detail:
https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Codex/UPDATE:_Bring_Down_the_Sky

Bioware actually recorded a couple of alien languages and are leftover in the game files. You can find them here:
https://lyricsaboutcats.tumblr.com/post/627664140518981632/this-is-a-sampling-of-the-leftover-alien-language

Thanks for clearing that up...

[barzai]

Originally posted by Septimus-Prime:

Originally posted by Kuuczi:

They don't, everyone has an universal translator, its persumably a small implant that translates every language to your own in real time
its explained in this entry in detail:
https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Codex/UPDATE:_Bring_Down_the_Sky

Bioware actually recorded a couple of alien languages and are leftover in the game files. You can find them here:
https://lyricsaboutcats.tumblr.com/post/627664140518981632/this-is-a-sampling-of-the-leftover-alien-language

Thanks for clearing that up...

And don't forget, in the first game you never hear the Geth "communicating" except in machine bleeps and bloops, presumably because they're only talking among themselves rather than with other species. IIRC you don't hear a Geth talking "English" until late in ME2 when Legion utters the words "Shepard-Commander" in the cutscene when he's sniping husks.

A more interesting and amusing question is the choice of accents. Garrus "tawks" like a "Noo-Yawka" with a distinctly Brooklynese accent, Tali sounds kinda Central-European, and so on.

Obviously they reflect to some degree their voice actors--e.g. Miranda's "Strine" accent is presumably the native accent of Michelle Strahovski--but that just begs the question, why those particular voice actors?

[mr.raider2]

Go play Kotor. All the races have different languages, but they loop the same audio over and over again.

[Soccer]

Originally posted by sillycreature:

I know the devs probably did this so they didn't have to come up with an original language for each alien race in the game but I'm curious if there is some sort of lore reasoning behind this?

Because you cannot speak Asari, Quarian, etc. fluently

[SpaceWombat]

Originally posted by barzai:

A more interesting and amusing question is the choice of accents. Garrus "tawks" like a "Noo-Yawka" with a distinctly Brooklynese accent, Tali sounds kinda Central-European, and so on.

My "headcanon" for justifying accents with aliens is that the device would draw from a database of known accents to the wearer and apply them to the translation. The use for this is that it gives context to dialacetical variations in alien languages that would otherwise be lost on someone who can't even understand it in the first place.

[barzai]

Originally posted by SpaceWombat:

Originally posted by barzai:

A more interesting and amusing question is the choice of accents. Garrus "tawks" like a "Noo-Yawka" with a distinctly Brooklynese accent, Tali sounds kinda Central-European, and so on.

My "headcanon" for justifying accents with aliens is that the device would draw from a database of known accents to the wearer and apply them to the translation. The use for this is that it gives context to dialacetical variations in alien languages that would otherwise be lost on someone who can't even understand it in the first place.

Oh, I agree. My question is slightly different though: not "why accents," but "why those particular accents."

I mean, I have some thoughts, but I wondered what others might think.

[Terran Ghost]

I think it's for the convenience of the player.

I don't know if there's an official explanation, but I would guess an in-universe one would be that English is just super easy to learn compared to the alien languages.

[Uvirith]

There is a scientific term for it, but I forgot what it is.

Basically it is a part of the "suspension of disbelief" audiences do for convenience.

Its just easier for the narrative and for the players/viewers enjoyment of the product.