# What movies before Star Wars used the Unintelligble/Translator characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457 "2011-08-04T13:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [August 4, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/21 "2011-08-04T22:34:34Z")
You can’t link that one [without the companion](http://www.google.com/imgres?q=far+side+what+we+say+to+cats&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=twV_M84eSSNOCM:&imgrefurl=http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/rutabaga_ridgepole/2009/08/what-we-say-to-obama-and-what.php&docid=RvdA8VICVNAB1M&w=507&h=600&ei=Gh47TrKYM6eGsgK66_0B&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=592&vpy=76&dur=1898&hovh=244&hovw=206&tx=164&ty=122&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=129&start=0&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0&biw=1303&bih=774). ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/22 "2011-08-04T22:36:00Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Ruth had gotten caught in a bear trap. She figured she could pry the trap open with a clamp, and told Lassie to go home and get the clamp. > > Lassie returns with something else – maybe a knife. It’s when Lassie returns with a knife, mincing machine and dogfood bowl you really have to start worrying. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/23 "2011-08-04T22:40:32Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > [tangential]One of my favourite [Far Side](http://echopen.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/gary-larsons-the-farside.gif?w=326)s. Off topic, but… what’s “be-in fayo”? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/24 "2011-08-04T22:54:38Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > [tangential]One of my favourite [Far Side](http://echopen.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/gary-larsons-the-farside.gif?w=326)s. Sorry, don’t get that one, can you translate please? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/25 "2011-08-04T22:54:55Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > Off topic, but… what’s “be-in fayo”? Google says “bien feo” is “very ugly”. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/26 "2011-08-04T22:57:14Z")
Oh. That’s… odd. Is that a common phrase like the others? ETA: Nevermind, I get it. The dolphins eventually take to insulting the scientists. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/27 "2011-08-04T23:18:30Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > Sorry, don’t get that one, can you translate please? The dolphins are speaking Spanish, but the scientists don’t realize it. The phrases on the chalk board are phonetic spellings of common Spanish phrases. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/28 "2011-08-05T00:51:18Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Google says “bien feo” is “very ugly”. Very ugly would be muy feo. Buen feo, I think, means good ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/29 "2011-08-05T07:51:05Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The dolphins are speaking Spanish, but the scientists don’t realize it. The phrases on the chalk board are **phonetic** spellings of common Spanish phrases. Thanks. I did try babelfish, but that explains why I got nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/30 "2011-08-05T08:09:18Z")
What’s the term for a negative whoosh? I thought the “translate” was a reference to the scientists translating (or not) dolphin-speak.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457/31 "2011-08-05T09:09:22Z")
Well, it was a genuine question, but I did realise it was ambiguous when I wrote it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-before-star-wars-used-the-unintelligble-translator-characters/591457.md?page=1)