Babel Augments
Babel Augments (also known as linguistic range augments or language augments) are a class of surgical and cybernetic procedures and devices which allow an individual to speak a language which they are not naturally capable of, due to either lacking specialized features or entire systems needed for language. Common babel augments include surgeries of the tongue and throat which enable Anazcans to speak human languages, and cybernetic systems which enable Claestoi to communicate using spoken language. In richer and better-developed areas, Babel augments are frequently performed at birth, while in much of the galaxy they are a rare and specialized tool of translators, diplomats, and traveling merchants.
Babel Surgeries
Most species of the galaxy evolved using some sort of spoken language, and therefore possess well-developed vocal tracts. However, these tracts are often insufficiently specialized to produce the sounds of alien languages. Babel surgeries are operations which modify the vocal tract to expand the range of possible spoken languages. They typically involve modification of the voicing apparatus to increase the frequency range a creature may produce, the removal of features which limit the range of motion of articulating elements like the tongue, or the moving and insertion of additional elements into the vocal tract to allow the formation of otherwise impossible sounds.
Babel Cyberware
Several species of Elyrion use either partially or entirely non-vocal languages. Notably, functionally all Anazcan languages rely upon the color of facial feathers, and many traditional languages of the Awakened involve the release of pheromones for communicating mood. Additionally, for many species babel surgeries are either impractical or impossible, such as the Claestoi, who possess no vocal system at all. In these cases, various cybernetics are required, which have varying degrees of invasivenes.
In some species/language cases, handheld or wearable devices operated by a handheld interface are suitable for most use. Lights temporarily affixed to the face and controlled by knobs on the hands are a common mechanism for non-Anazcans to communicate in traditional Anazcan languages, for example. Other examples of this sort include handheld pheromone synthesizers for Awakened languages. The radio-based languages of robotic peoples such as Androids and Arkivesi can often be intermediated handheld personal computers, which utilize custom interfaces to allow native display and input of the languages in question. Many of these devices are able to be used more natively using non-permanent neural interfaces, though the installation is both expensive and invasive, and learning to utilize the interface is time-consuming.
The most universal, expensive, and invasive babel cyberware is a vocalizer chip, which involves a neural interface and speaker implanted into the body to enable the production of arbitrary sounds using a computer speaker. While such installs often allow an individual to converse in functionally every language in the galaxy (depending on the system chosen), they are take a long time to learn to use. Some high-end systems can be implanted in young children, who are able to learn to use them naturally as they age, but most carry high risk of malfunction or medical complications if installed in a growing individual.
