30 Days of Flashfic - Day 17 A character in a foreign land, unable to speak the local language
This a Flashfic based on a prompt from ravenswept's 30 Days of Flash Fiction Meme
My 30 Days of Flashfic Index Page
Day 17 - Write a scene with a character in a foreign land, unable to speak the local language
The foreign language isn't just random text. :) Which is not to say that I made lots on notes on what was supposed to mean what. If I'd had more time I would have broken out my copy of The Language Construction Kit.
Title: First Class Education
Rick grumbled, trying to roll over to escape the tapping on his shoulder. Only to get a stronger tap and tangled up in his seatbelt.
"Huh?"
"Kon? Potek."
Stretching awake he took a moment to look around the shuttle. The now quite empty shuttle. Empty of anyone but himself and the blue scaled stewardess.
"Tal potek. Ki nevoro, kelo." The stewardess gestured out the window by his seat revealing a scene amazingly like any airport he'd seen on Earth, save for the lack of sky.
"Heh. Guess I overslept. Perhaps you know how to get this working?" Tapping on his ear piece translator. A translator which was insisting upon remaining silent.
The stewardess didn't even seem to notice the question and instead kept up a stream of words, which sounded now that he thought about it rather a bit like his third grade teacher's scolds. Continuing while he grabbed his backpack and bags from the overhead bins. The scolding going on as followed him out the hatch, down the exit ramp, and clear to the end of the bay it lead into.
"Oh. Nice. Two doors and no one to meet me. I don't suppose you know where I'm supposed to go?"
She, at least he thought the alien was a she, paused in her words giving him a baffled look at his question. After a moment she stepped around him and went for the left door. Tapping a yellow button to the side to open it.
"Left it is I guess."
He was halfway through the door when she turned and pointed at him.
"Ki den dobal."
Shrugging he sat one bag down and gestured at the translator again. "Yeah, I don't have a clue what you are saying."
"Ki den dobal!" He barely had time to grab his bag again as she advanced and crowded him out the hall back into the empty bay.
"Dobal kun!" She pointed at the other door, standing at the first until he shrugged and left through the one she was pointing at. After a short hallway, just as empty and bare as the bay came another door. The sounds of a great many people moving and talking on the other side. Bumping the door's yellow button thankfully opened it like the others.
"Oh come on." Some things were apparently well nigh universal. Five lines with a multitude of different aliens headed for what looked to be a security checkpoint. Or maybe customs. Speakers overhead rambled on, with for all he could tell an argument over which of the red and white zone was for loading and unloading passengers. "Never should have trusted this translator when the manual was barely readable."
Walking up to the nearest line he shrugged. "The tuition will be free. Yeah. Businesses will pay big bucks for someone from Earth's first class of Galactic Academy students. Right. High school was bad enough when I could understand everyone else. This year is going to be ever so wonderful."
My 30 Days of Flashfic Index Page
Day 17 - Write a scene with a character in a foreign land, unable to speak the local language
The foreign language isn't just random text. :) Which is not to say that I made lots on notes on what was supposed to mean what. If I'd had more time I would have broken out my copy of The Language Construction Kit.
Title: First Class Education
Rick grumbled, trying to roll over to escape the tapping on his shoulder. Only to get a stronger tap and tangled up in his seatbelt.
"Huh?"
"Kon? Potek."
Stretching awake he took a moment to look around the shuttle. The now quite empty shuttle. Empty of anyone but himself and the blue scaled stewardess.
"Tal potek. Ki nevoro, kelo." The stewardess gestured out the window by his seat revealing a scene amazingly like any airport he'd seen on Earth, save for the lack of sky.
"Heh. Guess I overslept. Perhaps you know how to get this working?" Tapping on his ear piece translator. A translator which was insisting upon remaining silent.
The stewardess didn't even seem to notice the question and instead kept up a stream of words, which sounded now that he thought about it rather a bit like his third grade teacher's scolds. Continuing while he grabbed his backpack and bags from the overhead bins. The scolding going on as followed him out the hatch, down the exit ramp, and clear to the end of the bay it lead into.
"Oh. Nice. Two doors and no one to meet me. I don't suppose you know where I'm supposed to go?"
She, at least he thought the alien was a she, paused in her words giving him a baffled look at his question. After a moment she stepped around him and went for the left door. Tapping a yellow button to the side to open it.
"Left it is I guess."
He was halfway through the door when she turned and pointed at him.
"Ki den dobal."
Shrugging he sat one bag down and gestured at the translator again. "Yeah, I don't have a clue what you are saying."
"Ki den dobal!" He barely had time to grab his bag again as she advanced and crowded him out the hall back into the empty bay.
"Dobal kun!" She pointed at the other door, standing at the first until he shrugged and left through the one she was pointing at. After a short hallway, just as empty and bare as the bay came another door. The sounds of a great many people moving and talking on the other side. Bumping the door's yellow button thankfully opened it like the others.
"Oh come on." Some things were apparently well nigh universal. Five lines with a multitude of different aliens headed for what looked to be a security checkpoint. Or maybe customs. Speakers overhead rambled on, with for all he could tell an argument over which of the red and white zone was for loading and unloading passengers. "Never should have trusted this translator when the manual was barely readable."
Walking up to the nearest line he shrugged. "The tuition will be free. Yeah. Businesses will pay big bucks for someone from Earth's first class of Galactic Academy students. Right. High school was bad enough when I could understand everyone else. This year is going to be ever so wonderful."