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In 2025 Doctor Who episode "The Well," there is a character who communicates in both an oral language and a sign language, which made me wonder about how (and whether) the TARDIS translation circuit handles sign languages.

In the episode, we see the Doctor ably communicating with Aliss in what is presumably a sign language from 500,000 years in the future (obviously, "really" BSL, just as the actors are "really" speaking British English), which might suggest that it does translate sign languages. And why not, since it translates written and spoken texts, so visual and auditory communication both?

However, Belinda's comprehension seems a little more ambiguous, and she at least thinks that her words won't be translated. Not to mention that the Doctor just genuinely knowing a future sign language is completely plausible. I also seem to recall that Clara also did not understand what Cass was saying in "Before the Flood."

So does the TARDIS translate sign languages at all? If it does, can it do sign-to-oral or oral-to-sign, or does it only do same-type translation?

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    Should you limit the capabilities of the Tardis? Commented Apr 28 at 14:03
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    The short story in the Doctor Who Storybook (2007) titled "No One Died" suggests that the TARDIS can't replicate/translate sign language if the person doesn't know sign language already. A limitation of the TARDIS telepathic field, but I don't know the canon status of that item. Commented Apr 28 at 15:02
  • Well, he speaks everything – including baby and horse – so sign language is perfectly plausible... Commented Apr 29 at 17:52
  • @SolarMike: oi, don't dis the T.A.R.D.I.S.! ;-) Commented Sep 30 at 14:29
  • @mbork you failed to understand what I wrote... Commented Sep 30 at 14:34

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Best guess — the TARDIS can translate spoken and written languages, but has trouble (or an inability) with "physical" languages like sign language.

The rules for the TARDIS translation have changed quite a bit. In past regenerations, it's implied that The Doctor knows all these languages, and just switches to speaking in them when needed. Pertwee says "Hello" in Venusian to the Brig by wiggling his ears and making faces at the end of "Spearhead From Space." It was in "The Masque of Mandragora" where the idea was introduced of the gift of the Timelords for understanding languages being afforded to Companions, but it was left vague. I don't think it was specifically explained that the TARDIS did the translation until the new series. The TARDIS translates written languages as well, but it sometimes takes a bit to catch up, as in "A Good Man Goes to War."

It would be more complex to translate a "signed" language — the Companion might "hear" words in their head, but it'd would be hard to telepathically make other people see their hands move.

There's a couple of stories in other media where companions couldn't understand sign language, like the audio play "Patient Zero."

The Doctor, however, still seems to use his own knowledge of language. In "Under the Lake," The Doctor remarked that he had "deleted" his knowledge of sign language (in favor of semaphore). This is probably a reference to Capaldi's audition speech where he remarked that as part of his regeneration, he'd deleted French, cooking skills, the breast stroke, and hopping. Clearly he chose to pick sign language back up in the interim.

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  • It's also addressed in The Doctor Who Storybook (2007, available for checkout at archive.org) in the story "No One Died", where the Doctor states that if the person doesn't know sign language already, the TARDIS' telepathic field can't help. I wasn't sure if that particular work was considered canon or not. archive.org/details/doctorwhostorybo0000unse_j6c5/page/64/mode/… Commented Apr 30 at 19:11

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