IM IN UR STORY, etc.

Yes, I'm afraid it has come to this: punny titles and gratuitous references to overexposed Internet memes. But hey, at least I'm not taping bacon to my cat.

Here's another link, just in case you're wondering where I got that punchline. And yes, I have made some Lolz featuring our own cats.

Simpsons fans may recall a similar translator idea in "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" But the idea of a "universal translator" dates back to at least 1967, when Star Trek used it, and probably appeared before then in other fiction.

Would the ability to communicate with other beings help or hurt first contact and the establishment of peaceful inter-species relations? I have to agree with Douglas Adams here—it would most likely be irrelevant. Many people who speak the same language are still right bastards to each other.

Being able to talk to someone doesn't mean you're automatically going to like them. Or believe them, for that matter. As cops and doctors know, everybody lies. Even machines.