“There was no delay through the speaker this time,” Lee thought out loud. “Which means that when IMIS translates a word for the first time it becomes permanent. It is learning.”
Alison took a deep breath. Lee was right, this was not a fluke. But it didn’t mean that the word actually meant “hello” either. It could still be gibberish and Sally simply repeated it for them. Even some human languages were so complex that the slightest variations in tone or inflection could make the language nearly impossible to learn. The Navajo language was a perfect example. Their system was so complicated that unless you were born into the language, you would never be able to fully grasp it as an adult. This was the reason it was so successful when used in World War II against the Japanese. Could the dolphin’s language be the same way? Could IMIS think it was translating something that it actually wasn’t?
Chris pulled back from the camera’s eyepiece. “Now what?”
Alison leaned forward. “The question is whether we have enough words for actual context. Send another word.”
Lee typed the word Yes and slowly clicked the translate button.
After several long seconds the speaker finally emitted a slightly different sound. This time Dirk swam over and joined Sally at the glass. No longer interested in the speaker he spoke first this time repeating the pattern. The word Yes appeared on the screen as the second incoming word.
“Unbelievable,” said Frank, running his hand through his hair.
Alison walked over to the tank, and looked through the glass just a few feet from Dirk and Sally. Were they talking? She wasn’t so sure.
Suddenly Sally made several long screeches and clicks. She swam again in a circle and repeated it.
The four looked at each other then back at the screen as Chris swiveled the camera back over Lee’s shoulder. They all held their breath.
Finally after a long pause the computer beeped with large red letters appearing in the translated window. Unable to Translate.
“I figured as much,” said Lee. “Until IMIS has identified them, it won’t recognize new words.” He turned back to the others. “It appears we’re a little limited with three words.”
“Do we know for sure that it’s working?” asked Frank.
Lee forced himself to remain objective. “I think so, but it’s too early to tell.”
“Let’s at least try the last word,” he said.
Lee nodded and typed the word No. Clicking the translate button got the same response, again from Dirk.
After a long silence Alison frowned and folded her arms. “We need to wait for more words.”
Alison rubbed her eyes and looked up at Chris’ silhouette. “What time is it?” she asked, looking around her darkened office.
“Almost five. The sun will be up soon.”
She nodded. “What’s up? Did something happen?”
“We got another word.”
“Really?! What?” She rolled off the cot and jumped up.
“Come and see.”
She passed him and raced to the desk. “Food.” she said with a smile. “Have you tried it yet?”
“Nope, we were waiting for you,” Lee said, approaching from behind with a can of Coke. Frank followed, looking as though he’d just been woken up as well. “Ready?” Lee asked sitting down.
Alison looked at the tank. Dirk and Sally were already awake and looking at them expectantly.
“How about ‘Food Yes’?” she offered.
They all gave her a strange look. “Food yes?”
Lee raised his eyebrows. “Ah I see. Very clever.” He looked at Chris. “Ready to roll?”
Chris quickly stepped behind the camera and started recording. “Hit it.”
With that, Lee quickly turned and typed Food Yes and clicked the translate button.
After hearing it Dirk, suddenly very excited, replied with a single familiar response and the word Yes appeared on the screen.
Lee smiled at Alison, but spoke to Chris and Frank. “By asking that, she provided an option for a single word response, differentiating between what was asked and also eliminating it as a simple repeat. That gentlemen is a bonafide translation!”
Oh my God!
Frank jumped up and suddenly turned to leave the room. “Wait right here.”
“Where are you going?”
He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. “To get some champagne.” He looked past them to the dolphins. “And someone get Dirk and Sally some food!”
12
Clay and Caesare walked into Admiral Langford’s office and silently closed the door behind them. He motioned for them to sit as he held the phone to his ear with the other hand. They sat relaxed, having been in the office many times. Langford’s office was actually where most of their discussions took place, both formal and informal. While officially a bureaucrat, Langford still tried to remain involved in many of the details of his department, particularly on the technical side. He was adamant that any leader who did not or could not understand the fundamentals of what their teams did, should not be leading those teams in the first place. He insisted it made for better decision making and created a more efficiently run department and his department’s achievements were hard to argue with.