Introduction
Want to translate your name into Na'vi, learn to swear in Dothraki, or figure out what the Minions are actually saying? Constructed languages (conlangs) are invented tongues built by linguists for film, TV, and literature. Unlike fictional alphabets, which just swap letters, conlangs have their own phonology, grammar, and vocabulary. Every tool here either translates between English and a conlang or decodes a conlang's written form. All processing runs in your browser. No data leaves your device.
What this category includes
- Translators for film and TV conlangs built by professional linguists (Na'vi, Dothraki, High Valyrian, Klingon, Atlantean, Trigedasleng)
- Translators for game conlangs (Simlish, Animalese, D'ni, Al Bhed, Thieves' Cant)
- Decoders for invented slang and coded argots (Nadsat, Newspeak, Toki Pona)
- Sound and symbol tools for languages without a written form (Parseltongue, Shyriiwook, Animalese)
- Historical crossover conlangs with real-world roots (Enochian, Wakandan/Xhosa, Atlantean)
How these tools work
Conlang tools operate differently from alphabet translators. A fictional alphabet swaps each Latin letter for one glyph using a fixed table. A conlang translator maps English words to words in an invented vocabulary, and in some cases applies the conlang's grammar rules (word order, affixes, case markers).
For conlangs with a documented dictionary (Na'vi, Dothraki, High Valyrian, Klingon, Atlantean, Trigedasleng), the tool looks up each English word in a wordlist and returns the conlang equivalent. Words not in the dictionary are passed through unchanged or flagged. For conlangs that are really substitution ciphers with flavor text (Al Bhed from Final Fantasy X is a literal letter substitution), the tool applies the cipher directly.
Sound-based tools (Parseltongue, Shyriiwook, Animalese) use the Web Audio API to generate pitched or modulated audio from input text, since these languages have no canonical written form. Slang decoders (Nadsat, Newspeak) use a dictionary lookup to replace English words with their invented equivalents.
Every tool runs client-side in JavaScript. No text is uploaded.
How the underlying systems work
Constructed languages date back to the 12th century, but the modern era of media conlangs began with Marc Okrand's Klingon for Star Trek III in 1984. Okrand deliberately combined speech sounds not found together in any natural language to make Klingon sound alien. The Klingon Language Institute maintains the canonical vocabulary.
The field expanded dramatically in the 2000s. Paul Frommer, a linguist at USC, built Na'vi for James Cameron's Avatar (2009). As Frommer explained in a DW interview, he gave Na'vi ejective consonants and unusual consonant clusters inspired by Polynesian and Native American languages. The community at Kelutral continues to expand and teach the language.
David Peterson constructed Dothraki and High Valyrian for HBO's Game of Thrones, working from the fragments in George R.R. Martin's novels. He later built Trigedasleng for The 100. Peterson and Jessie Sams co-host the podcast LangTime Studio, which documents the conlang creation process.
Marc Okrand also built Atlantean for Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), designing it as a proto-language with a real case system. This is why Atlantean is considered the most linguistically serious language Disney ever commissioned.
In 2025, MIT neuroscientists published a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that constructed languages recruit the same brain network as natural languages. The researchers scanned speakers of Esperanto, Klingon, Dothraki, High Valyrian, and Na'vi, and found that proficient speakers process conlangs in the same left-hemisphere regions used for English or Mandarin.
Some entries here are not conlangs in the strict sense. Al Bhed from Final Fantasy X is a monoalphabetic substitution cipher, but it is presented as an in-fiction language, so it lives here rather than in Fictional Alphabets. Toki Pona is a real-world conlang with only 120 words, designed by Sonja Lang in 2001. Enochian was "received" by occultists John Dee and Edward Kelley in the 16th century and has genuine historical-cryptographic roots.
How to use these tools
- Select a conlang from the tool list (Na'vi, Dothraki, Klingon, Simlish, Al Bhed, etc.)
- Type or paste English text in the input field
- The conlang translation appears in the output field, with unknown words passed through or flagged
- For sound-based tools (Parseltongue, Animalese), click the play button to hear the generated audio
- For cipher-style conlangs (Al Bhed, Alienese), use the swap button to decode conlang text back to English
Real-world examples
Avatar Fan Fiction Translation
A fan fiction writer wants the Na'vi phrase for "I see you" in a story. They type "I see you" into the Na'vi translator and get "Oel ngati kameie", the canonical greeting from the films. They verify the word order (OVS, which is unusual for natural languages but intentional in Na'vi) against the tool's grammar note.
Final Fantasy X Cipher Challenge
A player encounters Al Bhed text in Final Fantasy X without having collected the in-game primers. They type the Al Bhed string "Oui yvrm drec" into the Al Bhed tool and get back "You read this". Because Al Bhed is a fixed substitution cipher, the tool cracks it instantly without a key.
Animal Crossing Video Dub
A content creator making an Animal Crossing video wants the characters to "speak" in Animalese. They type their script into the Animalese tool, click play, and record the pitched, animal-like audio output. They sync the audio to character animations in their video editor.
Comparison of methods
| Method | Complexity | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Na'vi | O(n) dictionary lookup | Avatar fandom, fan fiction |
| Dothraki / High Valyrian | O(n) dictionary lookup | Game of Thrones fandom |
| Klingon | O(n) dictionary lookup | Star Trek fandom |
| Al Bhed | O(n) substitution | Final Fantasy X decoding |
| Simlish | O(n) phrase mapping | Sims fan content |
| Nadsat | O(n) dictionary lookup | Clockwork Orange analysis |
Limitations
Conlang translators are limited by the size of their dictionary. Na'vi has roughly 2,600 documented words. Dothraki has around 3,500. Klingon has about 3,000. If you type a word that is not in the dictionary, the tool will pass it through unchanged. These tools do not generate fluent sentences the way a human speaker would. They perform word-level lookup with limited grammar application. For fluent conlang speech, consult the community resources for each language (Kelutral for Na'vi, the Klingon Language Institute for Klingon, David Peterson's blog for Dothraki and Valyrian).
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a conlang and a fictional alphabet?
A conlang is a full invented language with its own sounds, grammar, and vocabulary, built by a linguist. A fictional alphabet is a 1:1 letter substitution with no grammar of its own. Na'vi is a conlang. The Standard Galactic Alphabet from Minecraft is a fictional alphabet. Some conlangs (like Al Bhed) are mechanically just substitution ciphers, but they are presented as in-fiction languages, so they live in this category.
Who created Na'vi, Dothraki, and Klingon?
Na'vi was created by Paul Frommer, a linguist at USC, for Avatar (2009). Dothraki and High Valyrian were created by David Peterson for Game of Thrones. Klingon was created by Marc Okrand for Star Trek III (1984). Atlantean was also created by Marc Okrand for Disney's Atlantis (2001).
Is Al Bhed a real cipher?
Yes. Al Bhed from Final Fantasy X is a monoalphabetic substitution cipher. Each letter of the English alphabet maps to a fixed Al Bhed letter. There is no key. The tool decodes it instantly by applying the substitution table. This makes it one of the few conlangs that is mechanically a cipher.
Can these tools teach me to speak a conlang fluently?
No. These tools perform word-level dictionary lookup with limited grammar handling. They are useful for translating short phrases, decoding game text, and understanding how a conlang works. For fluency, join the community for each language: Kelutral for Na'vi, the Klingon Language Institute for Klingon, or David Peterson's LangTime Studio for Dothraki and Valyrian.
Is Toki Pona a fictional language?
Toki Pona is a real constructed language designed by Sonja Lang in 2001. It has only 120 words and is designed to simplify thought. It is not from any film, book, or game, but it fits the same audience as media conlangs. The community is small, active, and heavily English-speaking.
Related categories
Conclusion
Constructed languages are the most linguistically serious entries on this site. Use these tools to translate phrases into Na'vi, decode Al Bhed text from Final Fantasy X, or generate Animalese audio for an Animal Crossing video. For letter-swap alphabets without grammar, use the Fictional Alphabets category. For real encryption, use Modern Cryptography.