Babel Fish
Instant language translator
A Babel Fish is a fictional creature from Douglas Adams's *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*—a small fish that, when inserted in the ear, instantly translates any language in the universe.
The term has become shorthand for any universal translation technology: Google Translate is basically a Babel Fish for the internet.
The name references the Tower of Babel, where God confused human languages.
- translatorOne who renders between languages
- universal translatorConverts any language instantly
- hitchhikerPerson seeking free rides
- galaxyGravitationally bound stellar mass
- universalAffecting all equally
Douglas Adams · earpiece · communication · language · alien · towel · improbable · Ford Prefect · sci-fi · science fiction · interpret · telepathic · in your ear · yellow · aquatic · guide · Arthur Dent · interstellar
Babel FishTower of Babel
Origin of linguistic diversity
language barrier · communication breakdown · lost in translation · miscommunication · linguistic isolation
Babel Fishphrasebook
Travel language reference
machine translation · Google Translate · hand gestures · translation software · pidgin
babel, fish, babble, fishes, fishing, fished, fisher, fishery, fishy