# Science Fiction/Fantasy "bi-lingual" pairs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414 "2022-01-26T13:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/1 "2022-01-26T13:28:36Z")
Inspired by the recnt thread on words in different language that are spelled the same, but are unrelated and have different meanings. I notice that there are a lot of names and words in science fiction and fantasy that don’t mean what the words usually mean in English. This is often taken as ignorance on the part of the writer. But it’s more charitable to view these are translations or transliterations of some alien language that, by chance, resemble words in English. Statistically, this is likely to occur. And, as that other thread made clear, there are plenty of real-life examples. Here are a few: Noble gases are a useful source **Helium** – The name of one of the largest kingdoms on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom (Mars). also the names of its two largest cities (Greater Helium and Lesser Helium). The domain of Rados Mors, and the place Dejah Thoris was princess of. Nevertheless, from the Engilsh meaning, I could help think the place was full of balloons and the people had high, squeaky voices. **Krypton** – Superman’s home planet, of course. Also the source of radioactive Kryptonite (although at first “Kryptonite” was the stuff Superman constructed a special gun out of, not something that made him weak). **Xenon** – The name of a circa 1980s pinball machine with alien and futuristic elements, but nothing to do with the inert gas. **Radon** – transliteration of the name of one of the first _kaiju_. It’s evidently derived from pteRAnoDON, since it was basically a giant flying reptile. This is a rare case of the translators stepping in to fix things. They evidently realized that “radon” already meant something, so they switched the two vowels to make the name “Rodan”, which it’s been ever since. Measuring Units **parsec** – Han Solo famously boasted of making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, therefore suggesting that “parsec” was a unit of time. Or Star Wars SpaceTime, or something. Fans have bbeen fanwanking this since 1977, because “parsec” is already a unit of distance, equal to about 3.25 light years, and a portmanteau of "PARallax of one SECond’, since it corresponds to the distance from earth’s orbit something is if the parallax you see over the course of six months is one second. But it’s better explained as simply an alien-English “bilingual” coincidence. **Micron** – It was hilarious when the long-awaited original version of _Battlestar Galactica_ aired on TV with its expensive Star Wars-inspired John Dykstra special effects finally aired, and we were breathlessly told that the Cylon ships were Five Microns Away. Around here, of course, “micron” is short from “micrometer”, or a millionth of a meter, just above the wavelength of light. Cylons that close would be hard to miss. Bilingual Coincidence is a much kinder explanation than ignorance other **Id** – I don’t refer to the famous use of this term in _Forbidden Planet_, but to A. E. Van Vogt’s use of the term in his first published SF story, “Black Destroyer” (and its subsequent use in his fix-up novel _Voyage of the Space Beagle_). It’s the stuff Coeurl the cat-like alien eats, and it’s evidently phosphorus, which he extracts from human bodies. There are plenty of others. Any contributions? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/2 "2022-01-26T13:34:51Z")
“Valar” means something like “All men” or “humanity” in High Valyrian (in the Song of Ice and Fire). It refers to the highest rank of angelic beings in Quenya (in the Lord of the Rings). Oops. I think I missed your point. I’ll come up with another example. Ah. A villainous character (a conquering dictator) in the early Pern works is named “Fax” - no word on how well he transmits duplicated information telephonically. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/3 "2022-01-26T13:49:45Z")
In Star Wars (both current canon and Legends), the style of music played by the cantina bands on Tatooine is called “jizz”. > **[Jizz](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Jizz)** > > Jizz was a genre of music. Jizz-wailers were musicians who specialized in the genre. Max Rebo and his band were popular Jizz-wailers. Jizz was first mentioned in canon in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi junior novelization, authored by Ryder Windham... > **[Jizz/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Jizz/Legends)** > > Jizz was an upbeat, swinging genre of music, most notably performed by Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes and the Max Rebo Band. Other notable jizz bands included Bobolo Baker's All-Bith Band, Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-Wailers, Hutt, Figrin D'an... ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/4 "2022-01-26T14:40:40Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > “Valar” means something like “All men” or “humanity” in High Valyrian (in the Song of Ice and Fire). It refers to the highest rank of angelic beings in Quenya (in the Lord of the Rings). Tolkien seemed to like saying that things in Middle Earth had di=fferent meanings in different made-up languages. Look at “Orthanc” > **[Isengard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isengard)** > > In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Isengard (/ˈaɪzənɡɑːrd/) is a large fortress in Nan Curunír, the Wizard's Vale, in the western part of Middle-earth. In the fantasy world, the name of the fortress is described as a translation of Angrenost, a word in the elvish language Sindarin, which Tolkien invented. (In fact it is an Old English word meaning "iron enclosure".) > In The Lord of the Rings, Orthanc, a tower at the centre of Isengard, is the home of the Wizard Saruman. He had been ensnar... But, yeah, that’s not quite what I was looking for. I hadn’t heard of Fax of Pern before ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/5 "2022-01-26T16:05:26Z")
Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series also includes the word “turn”, which her characters use to mean “year”. In Sarah Maria Griffin’s book _Spare and Found Parts_, the word “Turn” refers to one or more apocalyptic events prior to the beginning of the story. In _The Giver_ by Lois Lowry, the term “release” refers to euthanasia. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/6 "2022-01-26T16:28:02Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series also includes the word “turn”, which her characters use to mean “year”. > > In Sarah Maria Griffin’s book _Spare and Found Parts_ , the word “Turn” refers to one or more apocalyptic events prior to the beginning of the story. > > In _The Giver_ by Lois Lowry, the term “release” refers to These examples don’t appear to be radically different uses of words unrelated to their English equivalents, though. They seem to be extensions of the English words to related meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/7 "2022-01-26T17:12:40Z")
In Jack Vance’s “Servants of the Wankh” the Wankh are an alien species. In later editions of the book, the species is called the Wannek > **[Only the smuttiest book title can win the battle of the Wankhs](https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/aug/19/wankh-awards-rude-titles)** > > David Barnett: From Drummer Dick's Discharge to Shag: The Story of a Dog, there are plenty of contenders from literary history for the Guardian's newest award. Send us your nominations ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/8 "2022-01-26T19:29:13Z")
Does Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker’s Guide count? In the books, it’s the name of an alien, in real life it’s this: > **[Ford Prefect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Prefect)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > The Ford Prefect is a line of British cars which was produced by Ford UK between 1938 and 1961 as an upmarket version of the Ford Popular and Ford Anglia small family cars. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until 1941. Returning to the market in 1945, it was offered until 1961. The car progressed in 1953 from its original perpendicular or "sit-up-and-beg" style to a more modern three-box structure. Some versions were ... I have to confess that I didn’t know about the car long after I first read the books, and didn’t know that “prefect” is an actual English noun, but always thought that “Prefect” was a pun on “Perfect”. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/9 "2022-01-26T20:52:46Z")
In the original _Battlestar Galactica_, “cubit” was a unit of money. They were small square or rectangular coins, and nowhere near a [cubit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubit) in size. In the early _Flash Gordon_ comic strips, people communicated by “spaceograph”. This was basically a Zoom call, a combination of telephone and video, with the name derived from “telegraph”. But the “-ograph” construction always reminded me of the [spirograph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph) toy, with which you coud draw cool geometric patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/10 "2022-01-26T21:02:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Does Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker’s Guide count? In the books, it’s the name of an alien, in real life it’s this: No, because that was the joke. Ford says he chose his name to be ‘nicely inconspicuous’ or some such, the joke being that he’d mistaken automobiles as being the dominant life form on earth. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/11 "2022-01-26T21:25:23Z")
I like the expletive that the crew of the Red Dwarf habitually use: smeg. This is also the name of a popular brand of refrigerator, which probably is entirely unrelated to the word used by the Dwarf gang. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/12 "2022-01-26T21:27:59Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > No, because that was the joke. Ford says he chose his name to be ‘nicely inconspicuous’ or some such, the joke being that he’d mistaken automobiles as being the dominant life form on earth. Thanks, I didn’t remember that explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/13 "2022-01-26T21:46:28Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > I like the expletive that the crew of the Red Dwarf habitually use: smeg. Which is a shortening of “smegma”, which is a real word. And it’s not something that you want associated with a refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/14 "2022-01-26T22:22:43Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > > Does Ford Prefect from Hitchhiker’s Guide count? In the books, it’s the name of an alien, in real life it’s this: > > No, because that was the joke. Ford says he chose his name to be ‘nicely inconspicuous’ or some such, the joke being that he’d mistaken automobiles as being the dominant life form on earth. I’ve always thought it was because the Ford Prefect was about as nondescript as an automobile can get. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/15 "2022-01-26T22:32:53Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > A villainous character (a conquering dictator) in the early Pern works is named “Fax” - no word on how well he transmits duplicated information telephonically. That’s a good one. Fax is the villain in the first Pern novel, _Dragonflight_, published in 1968. When I first read the Pern novels, it was the mid-to-late '80s, when fax machines had quickly become ubiquitous in offices, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the bad guy’s suddenly unfortunate name. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/16 "2022-01-26T22:48:19Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > In Jack Vance’s “Servants of the Wankh” the Wankh are an alien species. Similarly, DC Comics has a species originally known as Gil’Dishpan. It was later retconned to Gil’Dan and Gil’Dishpan was explained as a mistranslation that persisted from first contact. (I’m not sure, but I think that that retcon has been undone…their page on the DC Fandom wiki is Gil’Dishpan, in any case.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/17 "2022-01-26T23:14:41Z")
The superhero [Starfire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d0/Starfire_%28Koriand%27r_-_circa_1982%29.png)’s real name is Koriand’r. Her evil sister is K’omandr. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/18 "2022-01-26T23:53:32Z")
This one was minor but actually led to an apology. In a 1983 issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction an author named Harvey Jacobs had a satirical story about a planet where the vegetation was so lush that the inhabitants’ droppings were fantastically useful in agriculture, leading to an ad campaign to encourage the inhabitants to do nothing but eat and produce. The planet and the story were named “Busby” - leading to an apology in a later issue from the author and magazine saying that they meant no offense to SF author F. M. Busby. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/19 "2022-01-27T00:13:36Z")
And of course, let’s not forget the Martian Manhunter, whose name is phonetically “John Jones”. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414/20 "2022-01-27T00:25:44Z")
Mon-El was a super-powered being who met up with Superboy in Smallvile. He had amnesia, so Clark assumed he was another Kryptonian and named him Mon for Monday and El to be part of his family. Monel metal was a nickel alloy that got a lot of use in WWII. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-fantasy-bi-lingual-pairs/958414.md?page=2)