The Language of the Silent, by Juliette Wade and Sheila Finch

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(SF) En route to planet Enikiu, an accident ruptures Ifigenia's eardrums--a disaster for a translator. She can get them fixed on Earth, but first she explores Enikiu a little, with unexpected consequences. (9,727 words; Time: 32m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

Recommended By: SFRevu:4

"The Language of the Silent," by Juliette Wade [bio] and Sheila Finch [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 03-04|16, published on March 5, 2016 by Spilogale Inc.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: It's very nice the way Ifigenia makes the best of her situation.  The references to Malinche will be familiar to anyone knowledgeable about Cortés and the conquest of Mexico.

Con: Given that Ifigenia has the AI, one wonders why she doesn't just make do with a microphone. That's a huge technical hole in the story.

Her boss seems like a very reasonable, rational guy in the early part of the story, so his refusal to listen to Ifigenia at the end is hard to credit. It's also hard to believe they admitted Othua without any sort of check for weapons. And it's impossible to believe that Ifigenia was willing to give up her hearing in order to help out a local rebellion--no matter how much of a guilt-trip her grandmother put on her.

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