Whaddya Mean, No Babel Fish?

The first Astronomicon panel I attended was "Aliens Speaking Alien," which included writers Josepha Sherman, Rick Taubold, Nancy Kress, and Carl Fredericks. I admit, the only reason I went to this panel was that it was the first opportunity I had to hear Kress speak. But I took notes anyway, and here's what I learned:

1
Carl Fredericks says there are two levels to think about when writing or writing about alien language. The lowest level is "language." A higher level involves semantics, e.g. "motor oil" vs. "baby oil." Might an alien think we make oil from babies? Could we make that mistake of an alien tongue?

2
Nancy Kress told us that one way to start is by considering the biology of aliens. Do they even make sounds? Do they make sounds within a range audible to the human ear?

Also, instant universal translators [my paraphrasing:] suck.

Recommended reading: "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang.

3
Other approaches to writing alien language: Sherman starts with the premise that for space travel to be possible the way modern aviation is possible, there has to be a sort of intergalactic lingua franca that everyone understands. Kress tries to "sneak it in." Fredericks wrote (or read? Can't remember) a story where a race's vocal language was a secondary language reserved for parental interactions with their children.

4
Some thoughts on actual mechanics, most (but not all) from Kress...

• Quotation marks or italics sorta suck [my word] for telepathy or other non-verbal communication. People have used typographical tricks w/great success.
• Any invented language needs an integrity to it. A consistency. One option: pick 3-4 consonant sounds and a couple of vowels to use most of the time.
• Fluted effects usually involve K or L sounds. Growls: G, R, or F
• And even if you think you've made up a name, Google it anyway!
• One writer used typography to illustrate one twin starting a sentence and the other finishing, every single time.

5
Idea Free-For-All

• More required reading: Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination.
• Go overboard and you won't get published.
  
• Language is only partly auditory. That's why we need emoticons in email/text.
• Using pheromones. Poul Anderson had a smell on every 3rd MS page. Maybe overdoing it?
• Animals don't speak in phonemes. Most of their stuff is in the spaces between sounds.
• Some panelists irritated when every single slang/foreign expression gets immediately translated. It's very possible to tell by context.
• In some stories, humans and aliens never really communicate, but they just get it. (Or, not!)
• You usually have two choices when writing "English in the future" -- just use English or go ahead and invent slang. There's a high risk of sounding ridiculous with the latter.
• Alien societies probably have classes and their language would reflect that.