About the "Haley speech" Translation

[xXKrogothXx]

I know there are links and such to show the translation as to what she had said, im not asking for that, im wondering HOW it was translated, did Rich just mix up letters and then create the translation later on?
Or is it some kind of code?

[Cbh66]

Every strip has its own code, i.e. a=c, b=k, something along those lines. Rich probably arbitrarily chose what letter equals what in each strip, but they are all decipherable.

[Douglas]

they are all decipherable.
Not quite. There's one where all she says is a single four letter word, and all you can tell is that all four letters are different. There are quite a number of four letter words with no duplicated letters that fit the context, and even the translation in the printed book says it's left to the reader's imagination.

[Lissou]

Every strip has its own code, i.e. a=c, b=k, something along those lines. Rich probably arbitrarily chose what letter equals what in each strip, but they are all decipherable.

Not always arbitrarily, for some of them a, b, c etc in order are equivalent to a sentence (missing repeated letter). The last one for instance is, if I recall Correctly, "Haley's very last cypher" or something like that.

[Spiky]

They are called cryptograms.

[Conuly]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptogram

Typically, when working out what is said in a cryptogram you look for obvious cues - common two and three letter words, common letters, single letter words which are bound to be a or I, common letter combinations, and - in Haley's case - context. Whatever that unidentified four letter word is, it's probably not "SAND!" We don't know which one, exactly, it is, but context gives us a pretty big hint about what it's NOT.

[Dr.Epic]

Not quite. There's one where all she says is a single four letter word, and all you can tell is that all four letters are different. There are quite a number of four letter words with no duplicated letters that fit the context, and even the translation in the printed book says it's left to the reader's imagination.

Can you post a link to that comic? I'm guessing it's a swear word because (a) so many of them are four letters long and (b) why would the giant go against his own code unless he didn't want anyone to know the word? Of course, this is just my crazy theory. I didn't know there was an instance of Rich not using the code for Haley's speech until I read this post.

[Vargtass]

Can you post a link to that comic? I'm guessing it's a swear word because (a) so many of them are four letters long and (b) why would the giant go against his own code unless he didn't want anyone to know the word? Of course, this is just my crazy theory. I didn't know there was an instance of Rich not using the code for Haley's speech until I read this post.

It is not an example of going against the code. The system of the cryptogrammes are the same always (simple substitution cipher) but the keys change for everey new strip. For all installments, the key was broken and the cipher solved by the readers of this site, and later the true text was confirmed in the printed books by Rich. The exception was xdfw (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html), which still uses a substitution cipher, but the material is too short to proåerly crack the key. Like many said above, Rich chose not to give the translation in the printed books, so it is and will remain unknown. And from context, you can indeed guess it is an inapropriate word - which one, will remain a mystery.

[ZerglingOne]

If I can recall correctly, Rich said somewhere that he had taken the cryptograms from a daily newspaper. What I don't get, is why Haley didn't just write stuff down for people to read during that time, much like Genma from Ranma.

[Kish]

If I can recall correctly, Rich said somewhere that he had taken the cryptograms from a daily newspaper.

Someone said what to you in the Telephone Game, now?

What I don't get, is why Haley didn't just write stuff down for people to read during that time, much like Genma from Ranma.
Aphasia affects writing.

[Asta Kask]

Aphasia affects writing.

In fact, it affects all kinds of verbal communication except cursing, singing (learned songs) and lists learned by rote (nursery rhymes, the days of the week - but not an individual day, etc.) So if Haley had normal aphasia, she should still have been able to curse. Of course, drawing inferences from normal aphasia to some kind of pseudo-magical aphasia is tricky business.

There has been one reported form of inverted aphasia, where the person lost the ability to curse, sing learned songs and also lost his lists learned by rote. Very interesting.

[Turkish Delight]

The exception was xdfw (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html), which still uses a substitution cipher, but the material is too short to proåerly crack the key. Like many said above, Rich chose not to give the translation in the printed books, so it is and will remain unknown. And from context, you can indeed guess it is an inapropriate word - which one, will remain a mystery.

It's a four-letter word addressed in anger to an intensely disliked female and the Giant chose not to translate it back in a reasonably family friendly web comic. I'd say that narrows the possibilities down very heavily and strikes me as a beautiful bit of getting crap past the (self-imposed) radar.

[CoffeeIncluded]

What I don't understand is how that could have completely fried Haley's Wernicke's Area. :smalltongue:

[Asta Kask]

It's probably best seen as hysteric aphasia, given that a) it makes little anatomical sense (since cursing was also affected), and b) it was cured by purely psychological means.

[CoffeeIncluded]

It's probably best seen as hysteric aphasia, given that a) it makes little anatomical sense (since cursing was also affected), and b) it was cured by purely psychological means.

So I suppose that the arc could be renamed, "Freud has a field day"?

[Dr.Epic]

What I don't get, is why Haley didn't just write stuff down for people to read during that time, much like Genma from Ranma.

Either she took a level of barbarian at level one and is illiterate or no one ever bothers to buy paper unless they are a wizard.

[Conuly]

If I can recall correctly, Rich said somewhere that he had taken the cryptograms from a daily newspaper. What I don't get, is why Haley didn't just write stuff down for people to read during that time, much like Genma from Ranma.

1. That would have been too easy.
2. In order to make it harder, Haley's aphasia would have to have affected her writing as well meaning
3. There was just no point.

[NerfTW]

What and when would Haley have written down, exactly? Just because we don't see her write anything down doesn't mean she hadn't been doing it for comments she couldn't get across. Writing things down in battle would take too much time, and the only time she needed to get a message across, she was too angry to run off and find a pencil and paper. (Trying to get Roy to realize Shojo wasn't senile)

[brownyadon]

In Cryptogram, it all comes down to making systematic educated guesses until the pattern emerges. Usually after the vowels are figured out there is an acceleration as the phrase becomes clear.

[Rad]

Not always arbitrarily, for some of them a, b, c etc in order are equivalent to a sentence (missing repeated letter). The last one for instance is, if I recall Correctly, "Haley's very last cypher" or something like that.

Wait, really? that's new stuff for me. Now I'll go and try to figure them out

[Kish]

Either she took a level of barbarian at level one

In which case, she would have become literate as soon as she took her first rogue level. Only single-classed barbarians are illiterate.

[JoeSkull]

In which case, she would have become literate as soon as she took her first rogue level. Only single-classed barbarians are illiterate.

I think Thog multiclassed to fighter but I think he is illiterate.

edit: Here it is (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0064.html)

[Kish]

There's no indication that Thog is illiterate. By the letter of the rules, he can't be.

Of course, Rich will only follow the letter of the rules if he wants to...but, I suspect, any jokes about Thog's literacy will go, "thog learn to read when he take his first fighter level! thog not want to, but learn anyway!"

[hamishspence]

Even orcs (not just half-orcs) learn to read when they take PC classes other than barbarian.

The most illiterate race in the game, is the Neanderthal (Frostburn), which unlike all others, does not gain literacy for taking levels in any class, other than wizard.

[Capt Spanner]

Haley is demonstrably (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0131.html) not illiterate. She can even write (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0603.html)!

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff of Moddingham: Thread necromancy.