History Main / TranslationByVolume

* in ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'', a certain substory has the protagonists try to talk to a tourist who makes no effort in speaking the language at all. In the Japanese version, the tourist spoke fluent English, but in the English dub, it was changed to the tourist speaking English loudly and slowly.

* In ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption'', Edgar Ross does this to ask the Native American Nastas if he can speak English, only for Fordham to quickly state that he can indeed.

[[folder: Web Original]]

In all fairness, there is logic behind this strategy, ''if'' the other party has some knowledge of your language. Someone learning a second language is more likely to understand if it's spoken slowly and distinctly. And even if they have a passing familiarity, enunciating each word separately raises the odds that they'll pick up enough to follow your meaning. It's only useless if the languages involved are entirely unknown.

It often involves speaking in conjunction with national stereotypes, frequently some version of EagleLand of the boorish category to portray an ignorant tourist, bumbling his way around a foreign country, and if not an American, it's almost always some kind of Brit (although that can either be of the "toff too superior to learn Spanish" or the boorish type). Characters sometimes just meet a person who doesn't speak the same language, not necessarily a tourist. It's a fairly universal approach, not limited to one nation or one language.

* ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'': Clayton tries to get Tarzan to understand the world "gorilla" by shouting it at him. All it results in is Tarzan yelling it right back at him.

* In the National Theatre's 2014 production of ''Theatre/{{Treasure Island|2014}}'', Jim attempts to explain something to Hands, a South American pirate who apparently speaks no English. She makes several attempts, each one louder, slower, with more simplified syntax and more hand gestures.

** This is Granny Weatherwax's default form of communication when dealing with foreigners during the witches' travels in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad''.

A person attempts to overcome a LanguageBarrier by simply speaking loudly and slowly or even shouting, believing that it will somehow work. As if the other person had bad hearing or were deaf,[[note]]incidentally , talking loudly to deaf people doesn't help either; talking slowly may help if they can lipread[[/note]] and weren't someone who actually doesn't know the language.

It often involves speaking in conjunction with national stereotypes, frequently some version of EagleLand of the boorish category to portray an ignorant tourist, bumbling his way around a foreign country, and if not an American it's almost always some kind of Brit (although that can either be of the "toff too superior to learn Spanish" or the boorish type). Characters sometimes just meet a person who doesn't speak the same language, not necessarily a tourist. It's a fairly universal approach, not limited to one nation or one language.

Another variant of this trope happens when characters are nice to each other and they genuinely try to understand and communicate, never realizing that it's hopeless. People may mean to be helpful and improve communication but it can come across as condescending.

In all fairness, there is logic behind this strategy, ''if'' the other party has some knowledge your language. Someone learning a second language is more likely to understand if it's spoken slowly and distinctly. And even if they have a passing familiarity, enunciating each word separately raises the odds that they'll pick up enough to follow your meaning. It's only useless if the languages involved are entirely unknown.

This trope is very often PlayedForLaughs as a means of mocking communication and poor foreign language skills. Generally, it will be accompanied by ElSpanishO and a lots of BodyLanguage tropes, both in fiction and in RealLife, since this is TruthInTelevision.

* A radio advert had a tourist going into a travel agency in Hong Kong and trying to arrange a complicated flight while the agent just kept saying, "Yes...Yes...Yes..." in response to this trope. At the end it's obvious the agent hasn't understood a word. Unless you went to the advertised travel agency of course, where all their travel planners spoke fluent English.

* {{Parodied}} in the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' episode "Acquisition" when four Ferengi board ''Enterprise'' looking for a vault of goodies. (The fact that no such vault exists on board is irrelevant.) During their search, two of them end up in Captain Archer's cabin, and...

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', episode "Darmok": The episode deals with UniversalTranslator Failure and an encounter with friendly, yet absolutely incomprehensible aliens. The problem wasn't a failure to comprehend the ''words'', but it was a failure to comprehend the ''mindset'' and there was a huge ''lack of context'' -- the Tamarians used an extremely metaphorical language, speaking exclusively in references to their stories. Both crews try this approach of speaking loudly and slowly. It slightly worked, but both could grasp only very, very little.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'' has a scene where one of the Hawk Tribe is trying to talk to the Heron princess, who only speaks an ancient language, by talking loudly and slowly as he helps her pack for a trip. [[MoodWhiplash Then he tries to find out why she screamed]] right before the BlackKnight kills him.

* Doubly useless in ''Webcomic/ThatDeafGuy'', where someone tries this with Desmond... who is the titular deaf guy.

* ''Website/NotAlwaysWorking'' records an employee of a café attempting shouting [[http://notalwaysworking.com/signs-of-trouble-part-2/28104 to a deaf person]].

In all fairness, trying to employ this trope might sometimes work, especially with languages that are partly mutually comprehensible and share a similar vocabulary and grammar, or when talking to someone who has a very basic knowledge of the language. Speaking slowly and clearly allows them to keep up and they might catch some of the few words they know or grasp the meaning from gestures.

A person attempts to overcome a LanguageBarrier by simply speaking loudly and slowly or even shouting, believing that it will somehow work. As if the other person had bad hearing or were deaf,[[note]]incidentally , talking loudly to deaf people doesn't help either; UsefulNotes/SignedLanguage will do the trick[[/note]] and weren't someone who actually doesn't know the language.

* ''Theater/{{Drood}}'' has John Jasper and Reverend Crisparkle attempt this approach to Helena and Neville Landless (unaware they actually speak English), with Crisparkle adding gestures.

A person attempts to overcome a LanguageBarrier by simply speaking loudly and slowly or even shouting, believing that it will somehow work. As if the other person had bad hearing or were deaf, and weren't someone who actually doesn't know the language.

* ''Film/AlongCamePolly'': When Reuben and Polly first meet Reuben's parents, they ask an Middle-Eastern waiter in a rather condescending fashion: "Hi, need big table please - four people - many thanks" with the waiter responding in a bewildered fashion (and American accent) "okay".

* ''Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress2017'': Dr. Arbuthnot starts to do this by telling the non-anglophone sailors that he can help with their engine before catching himself, then taking off his jacket to help.
* ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': Pikachu does this before he realizes that Tim ''can'' understand him.

'''Tucker:''' What? ''(camera pans to show [[TheDitz Caboose]] standing behind him)'' I'm talking to Caboose!\\

* [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/foreign-travel-tips,8103/ This]] ''Website/TheOnion'' article on traveling abroad advises that shouting at foreigner is useful, along with [[BlatantLies many other helpful tips for American tourists]].

* ''Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress2017'': Dr. Arbuthnot starts to do this by telling the non-anglophone sailors that he can help withtheir engine before catching himself, then taking off his jacket to help.