Tkevsa/Oceantongue translation guide

The development of the dialector revolutionized vocal translation between any two languages, no matter how unrelated. It even made it possible to speak with different species. But when the Exploratory Corps arrived on Tokled and found the tool-using tkevsa with no spoken language, they had to develop a means of translating a system of writing that looked more like art.
The linguists on the team created a physical manual matching written Oceantongue words with corresponding tkevsa symbols. This first guide was limited in what it could translate, but it contained enough terms to ask for and receive permission to establish the outpost. The guide continues to be updated, but is not yet considered complete enough to be worth the effort of publishing it in the Cluster Islands.

Manufacturing process

To copy a figure, a sheet of damp paper is covered first with a thin piece of cloth, then the sheet with the original image. The copyist traces the figure with a blunt stick, causing the intermediate cloth layer to leave indentations in the paper. When the paper has dried, the indentations are then traced over with ink. A pair of dimples on the edge, left by the papermaking process, are punched through with nails. When a full copy of the guide is ready, the pages are gathered and clipped onto metal rings to keep them ordered and make it possible to easily flip between the pages.

Item type

Book / Document

Owning Organization

Exploratory Corps

Rarity

Each guide is hand-copied and unique. All outpost staff who interact with tkevsa have their own copy, to which they add any new terms they come across.

Raw materials & Components

The original guide was a hodgepodge of any handy materials that could be drawn on--pieces of old sail, or clothing sacrificed to the cause, for example.
Later the outpost staff developed a makeshift paper from local plants. The resulting pages are thick and irregularly-shaped, making the guides unfortunately awkward to use.