How do people decipher fictional languages with seemingly random and unfamiliar symbols?
In: Culture
Conlangs or [constructed languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_language) are planned by an author or writers instead of having evolved naturally like our own languages. They may look random, but they’re anything but. They’re often created translation in mind. So keys and sometimes whole translation dictionaries exist.
Many times the creators of Conlangs will borrow from existing symbols and [sounds](https://youtu.be/oa6cHEJIjYI) of other languages. [Klingon](https://www.kli.org/about-klingon/klingon-history/) is probably the best known example of a conlang.
> Dr. Okrand did not base Klingon on any particular language, but drew on his knowledge of how language works to construct a wholly new language. During filming, he coached the actors on pronunciation, and then amended Klingon to match not only their mispronunciations, but also changes made to the subtitles after the lines were recorded. Dr. Okrand’s description of the language he created was published in 1985 as The Klingon Dictionary.
> Most use the writing system that Dr. Okrand devised, but some use pIqaD, a writing system based on the glyphs used in set decoration.
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