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This topic has moved here: Subject: Covenant Languages in Reach
  • Subject: Covenant Languages in Reach
Subject: Covenant Languages in Reach

Does anyone have any idea what the covenant are saying? As in, word for word translation. Only reason I'm asking is I'm sure I heard this panicking grunt say something something "sangheili" something before I put my elbow in his face, and am generally curious as to what he was saying.

On the other hand, it'd be kinda lame if they just translated all the stuff we'd been hearing in the trilogy into their native languages.

I know they had all the Covenant speaking their native languages to make them more alien and/or terrifying in Reach, but it'd be cool if, in the future*, we got some kind of translation script/audio log/subtitled option. Or, y'know, some ambitious people out there could undertake a project. Just sayin'.

*By future, I don't mean past Halo games.

  • 11.14.2010 10:50 AM PDT
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Someone should start here.

  • 11.14.2010 11:23 AM PDT

I don't really mind to be honest... It does seem that Elites speak a bit different in Reach than CE, but all you heard in CE was 'Wort Wort Wort' and what sounded like 'Rawr! Coconut!' Funny times.

Curses, someone beat me to mention Wort Wort Wort

[Edited on 11.14.2010 11:28 AM PST]

  • 11.14.2010 11:27 AM PDT

i know some grunt sayings like "aahh the demon" i'll be back with more

  • 11.14.2010 11:46 AM PDT

On hiding dead bodies:
Posted by: Psuedo
Posted by: teh Chaz
Inside another dead body. It's the last place they'll look
A corpse within a corpse.
CORPSEPTION.
Win.

The UNSC had no reliable translations for Covenant languages until after Reach fell, due to the events of First Strike. After this (ie: Halo 2), the UNSC had a comprehensive translation system for Sangheili. Since they would have been little used, I think that each species' native languages would actually still be untranslatable.

However, Sangheili is the primary language of all Covenant (especially the military), and Sangheili is supposed to be a Sangheili word, so would be heard as Sangheili.

  • 11.14.2010 11:48 AM PDT

I think a couple good general ideas for figuring out what they are saying is to first examine the situation they are in,are they fighting?At ease?Looking for you?Secondly listen and try to find similar sounding words,for all we know they are each speaking their native languages.Btw the Jackals and Skirmishers all seem to speak their native in all the games

  • 11.14.2010 5:02 PM PDT

What a waste....


Posted by: PNut d kidnaper
Someone should start here.
Why are we here?

  • 11.14.2010 5:48 PM PDT

In Halsey's journal, she mentions that the Covenant, upon first contact, we're found to know, understand, and speak English. I'm not sure why they wouldn't speak English in Reach when they speak English in all of the other games.

  • 11.14.2010 11:54 PM PDT

On hiding dead bodies:
Posted by: Psuedo
Posted by: teh Chaz
Inside another dead body. It's the last place they'll look
A corpse within a corpse.
CORPSEPTION.
Win.

Posted by: Wesley S Shark
In Halsey's journal, she mentions that the Covenant, upon first contact, we're found to know, understand, and speak English. I'm not sure why they wouldn't speak English in Reach when they speak English in all of the other games.
Refer to my post above.

However, the Covenant use translation software to speak and understand English.
Only the Unggoy (Grunts) are good at understanding (and thus speaking) English, and is one of their duties, to transcribe human transmissions into Sangheili.

  • 11.15.2010 2:57 AM PDT

Bungie Pentathlon - who actually cares ?

I was really disappointed the Grunts have lost their sense of humour and vocal abilities

Glad the Elites are in Wort Wort Wort mode though.

...just miss the whole "leader is dead, run a-way!" kinda thing

  • 11.15.2010 6:01 AM PDT

Silence fills the empty grave, now that I have gone
But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on

Just take a random render of of the file search, put it in Audacity, reverse, done.

  • 11.15.2010 6:51 AM PDT

War is Human Nature, without War there cannot be peace, without peace there cannot be war.


Posted by: JDYeash937 MkII
The UNSC had no reliable translations for Covenant languages until after Reach fell, due to the events of First Strike. After this (ie: Halo 2), the UNSC had a comprehensive translation system for Sangheili. Since they would have been little used, I think that each species' native languages would actually still be untranslatable.

However, Sangheili is the primary language of all Covenant (especially the military), and Sangheili is supposed to be a Sangheili word, so would be heard as Sangheili.

Sangheili is a latin word meaning 'I honor my kin.'
EDIT: in retrospect, Jiralhanae is a Korean word meaning 'Crazy Agressive Lunatic.'

[Edited on 11.15.2010 9:57 AM PST]

  • 11.15.2010 9:55 AM PDT

On hiding dead bodies:
Posted by: Psuedo
Posted by: teh Chaz
Inside another dead body. It's the last place they'll look
A corpse within a corpse.
CORPSEPTION.
Win.

Posted by: hannible II

Posted by: JDYeash937 MkII
The UNSC had no reliable translations for Covenant languages until after Reach fell, due to the events of First Strike. After this (ie: Halo 2), the UNSC had a comprehensive translation system for Sangheili. Since they would have been little used, I think that each species' native languages would actually still be untranslatable.

However, Sangheili is the primary language of all Covenant (especially the military), and Sangheili is supposed to be a Sangheili word, so would be heard as Sangheili.

Sangheili is a latin word meaning 'I honor my kin.'
EDIT: in retrospect, Jiralhanae is a Korean word meaning 'Crazy Agressive Lunatic.'
I thought Jiralhanae was Sanskrit?

But anyway, yes the words for the species are all words from Earth languages (in the real world), but (in the Haloverse) they are all taken from the Sangheili language.

Unggoy, Sangheili, Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, Yan-mee[sp?] are all words from the Sangheili language, as all the Covenant (with the probable exception of the San-Shy'uum[sp?]) are required to speak Sangheili, at least when in the military.
The San-Shy'uum and Sangheili either share a language, or their languages are very similar.

  • 11.15.2010 10:02 AM PDT

War is Human Nature, without War there cannot be peace, without peace there cannot be war.


Posted by: JDYeash937 MkII
Posted by: hannible II

Posted by: JDYeash937 MkII
The UNSC had no reliable translations for Covenant languages until after Reach fell, due to the events of First Strike. After this (ie: Halo 2), the UNSC had a comprehensive translation system for Sangheili. Since they would have been little used, I think that each species' native languages would actually still be untranslatable.

However, Sangheili is the primary language of all Covenant (especially the military), and Sangheili is supposed to be a Sangheili word, so would be heard as Sangheili.

Sangheili is a latin word meaning 'I honor my kin.'
EDIT: in retrospect, Jiralhanae is a Korean word meaning 'Crazy Agressive Lunatic.'
I thought Jiralhanae was Sanskrit?

But anyway, yes the words for the species are all words from Earth languages (in the real world), but (in the Haloverse) they are all taken from the Sangheili language.

Unggoy, Sangheili, Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, Yan-mee[sp?] are all words from the Sangheili language, as all the Covenant (with the probable exception of the San-Shy'uum[sp?]) are required to speak Sangheili, at least when in the military.
The San-Shy'uum and Sangheili either share a language, or their languages are very similar.

hell, when ya think about it... Sangheili culture and the culture of Feudal Japan are very similar as well. they both value swordsmanship, they both have a very strict code of honor and discipline. just about the same in most aspects.

  • 11.15.2010 10:31 AM PDT

On hiding dead bodies:
Posted by: Psuedo
Posted by: teh Chaz
Inside another dead body. It's the last place they'll look
A corpse within a corpse.
CORPSEPTION.
Win.

Posted by: Sigma617
So we've established that all covenant troopers on Reach speak Sangheilian language?

I find it kinda hard to believe that brutes would yeild to that; Jackals too.

and most client species can't even verbalize in that language (Hugarok Lekgolo and Yam'ne).

I think it would be impossible to coordinate such a vast force without some kind of Galactic Basic for the Covenant to learn (without offending some Client Species)
I can't remember which book it was, but I'm certain one said that all Covenant military were required to speak Sangheilian, so that the Sangheili commanders did not have to learn the languages of their underlings.

The only species particularly adept at English were the Unggoy who were required to transcribe human radio transmissions.

  • 11.15.2010 12:37 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

If they use translation software to translate English to Sangheilian then would they not just do that with each others?

It would be easier I would imagine, considering some, like what Sigma said, cannot speak those types of languages, like the Hunters and Drones.

  • 11.15.2010 12:53 PM PDT

On hiding dead bodies:
Posted by: Psuedo
Posted by: teh Chaz
Inside another dead body. It's the last place they'll look
A corpse within a corpse.
CORPSEPTION.
Win.

Posted by: Sigma617

Posted by: JDYeash937 MkII
I can't remember which book it was, but I'm certain one said that all Covenant military were required to speak Sangheilian, so that the Sangheili commanders did not have to learn the languages of their underlings.

The only species particularly adept at English were the Unggoy who were required to transcribe human radio transmissions.


well of course subordiante species would adhere to that policy but what of the clients that couldn't physically speak or understand Sangheilian? as far as I know Huragok use sign language Lekgolo use subsonic rumbles and Drones, high pitched squeaks and wing vibrations.

even if they could learn to understand their Sangheili commander they couldn' respond to him.

also it's worth mentioning that the Covenant fully understand english as they transmit "promises of destruction" to doomed colonies in our own language.
Huragok do use sign language, but also a series of chirps and squeaks that can be generated from a Covenant bridge's speakers (First Strike). Mgalekgolo (armoured Hunters) do communicate through subsonic rumbles, but they can 'speak' a variety of languages this way - their own and Sangheilian. They do this in Ghosts of Onyx.

In Contact Harvest, Tartarus uses a signal unit to translate his own speech into that of the Yan'me. This might be because the Jiralhanae basically CBA to learn the language, or because it's not really possible for other species to make the clicks and squeaks. However, like the Huragok, clarification and acknowledgement is not necessary, as they simply follow orders.

Only the Unggoy are fluent speakers of English, I think this is said in The Flood. Sangheili can speak English, but not as well as the Unggoy. The Jiralhanae use translators.

  • 11.15.2010 1:39 PM PDT
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actually i think the reason for that is because you dont have an AI for example in the book fall of reach it mentions that cortana had a translator of the covenant language..... so since the master chief had cortana throughout the rest of the halo series she might have just translated it for him.... kinda like the one time in halo 2...... just a theory

  • 11.15.2010 1:47 PM PDT

On hiding dead bodies:
Posted by: Psuedo
Posted by: teh Chaz
Inside another dead body. It's the last place they'll look
A corpse within a corpse.
CORPSEPTION.
Win.

Posted by: xhardcorex56
actually i think the reason for that is because you dont have an AI for example in the book fall of reach it mentions that cortana had a translator of the covenant language..... so since the master chief had cortana throughout the rest of the halo series she might have just translated it for him.... kinda like the one time in halo 2...... just a theory
Between Halo 1 and 2, Cortana captured a Covenant-English lexicon from a 'Covenant' AI.

She was able to massively improve UNSC translation software with this almost-complete dictionary.

The UNSC already had translation software, but even in 2552 it was very ineffective.

  • 11.15.2010 2:06 PM PDT