Cybertronian language

It should be little surprise, given a moment's thought, that distinct Cybertronian languages exist. The Transformers did not go about speaking English or any other known Earth language long ages ago on their distant metal world. Though the records of such conversations are frequently translated for us, we should not forget that these conversations originally flowed in odd electronic syllables past strange metallic lips, or were etched by alien hands long eons before the first humans painted muddy shapes upon dark cave stone.

Fiction

Generation One

Marvel Generation 1 comics

"I logged on to your mom."

Jazz made the statement that his real name was unpronounceable in English. Man of Iron!

Runamuck and Runabout sprayed Cybertronian graffiti across Earth monuments. They were taken aback to realize that the earthlings couldn't comprehend their alien language wit. Decepticon Graffiti!

Generation 1 cartoon

So it's true. The Pyramids were built by aliens.

The first language used by the Transformers was likely the Quintesson language inherited from their former masters. It can be seen upon the walls of the Quintesson dimensional transporter room. It rather resembles Egyptian hieroglyphs. Madman's Paradise

Ancient Autobot, on the other hand, eschewed pictures of birdies.

Ancient Autobot was the language used by the ancient Autobot colonists that fled Cybertron in the distant past. Most modern Transformers (or at least the Decepticons) could not read it. Cosmic Rust

The controls of the Plasma Energy Chamber were labeled in Ancient Cybertronian, which Spike Witwicky did not recognize but Cerebros was able to read. The Rebirth, Part 1

In contrast, the language used by the Autobots when they first awoke in 1984 was easily learned. Spike Witwicky learned to read Modern Autobot after only knowing the Transformers for a single day. (Autobots and humans could also converse freely on their first encounter, though the hows and whys aren't addressed onscreen.) More than Meets the Eye, Part 2

However in the episode "The Golden Lagoon", Beachcomber uses a built-in translation program in an attempt to translate bird song, without much success. Presumably, all Transformers possess this translation program and not just Beachcomber. It's possible that when Teletraan I was first reactivated and went about scanning earth "life forms" that it also scanned and translated earth languages. It could have also downloaded it into each Transformer as it repaired them, explaining why both the Autobots and Decepticons could speak English right off the bat.

IDW Comics

Cliffjumper is able to speak an alien language moments after landing on the planet. He can't explain how it works, it just does. Spotlight: Cliffjumper

Alien writing is displayed on a computer screen that Wheeljack is working on. ...For All Mankind

Beast Era

See also Vok symbols.

Robots in Disguise cartoon

While many of the Autobots' readouts used a code utilizing the Latin alphabet, their heads-up displays also included text in Cybertronian script.

Unicron Trilogy

Writing is displayed on a viewscreen of the starship Atlantis. Ship

Transformers Animated

Animated Cartoon

There is writing outside of Jazz's quarters on the Elite Guard flagship. Five Servos of Doom

Later, Bulkhead leaves yellow PostIt-style notes on his space bridge controls. Ratchet has a hard time deciphering them, as Bulkhead's servos are not designed for "penbotship". This Is Why I Hate Machines

The Arrival

As Ultra Magnus and the Elite Guard review what they know about the first battle between Optimus and Megatron, an image of the Nemesis appears on a screen with labels in a written language. Dispatches This language is different from instances of writing used in the show.

Live-action Transformers movies

See also Cyberglyphics

Agoraptor post

Ghosts of Yesterday prequel novel

As they fled from the Ark, the crew members of the vessel Ghost 1 were able to pick up the transmissions from the Autobots. They thought that one might be able to make out words from the spoken language of the Autobots if they had a degree in theoretical physics...and were tripping on bad acid. Ghosts of Yesterday

Transformers (2007 film)

The Decepticons communicate with each other in a spoken language, which to human ears sounds like a collection of vowel-intensive electronic noises and rumbles. They have also learned enough English to communicate with the humans when necessary. Cyberglyphics convince Sector Seven that there is some relationship between Megatron and the AllSpark.Transformers (2007)

The AllSpark Wars

Agoraptor and Agoracer each communicate in a kind of code, based on Cybertronian lettering.AllSpark Wars

Dark of the Moon (video game)

Mirage encountered a Mayan temple that was built ontop of an ancient Decepticon base. After entering the structure, he noted that the walls were covered in ancient Decepticon Hieroglyphs.

Shattered Glass

The Around Cybertron news program features both advertisements and a news scroll at the bottom of the screen written in Autobot text. Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28

An Autobot stellar spanner is marked CWP274 in Autobot characters.

Elsewhere, a box in the Decepticon Base is marked 'fragile' in Decepticon characters.Blitzwing Bop

=War for Cybertron

On many computers, consoles, and screens on Cybertron, the Cybertronian scripts can be seen. When a directive is shown to a Transformer, symbols flash on their heads up display before being translated into a human language, so the human playing the interactive story may understand their objective. Template:Storylink:War for Cybertron

Transformers: Prime

When Bulkhead's mind started to be assimilated by information ejected from a data cylinder, his mind went to science and formulas. In a Sam Witwicky-like fashion, he begins to eccentrically paint Cybertronian symbols on chalkboards and walls, using a broom like a paintbrush. Template:Storylink:Transformers: Prime episode 21

Toys

Universe 2008 "Classic Series"

The packaging art for many of the "Classic Series" toys in the 2008 Universe line features movie-like "tribal markings" on the characters, going along with the more movie-like renditions of the characters.

More directly, the Legends-class Cosmos toy has his name written on his vehicle mode in Cybertronian lettering.

Timelines

Banzai-Tron features his original Tech Spec motto, "To the victor go the profits," in Autobot text along the side of his vehicle mode.

Notes

• "...For All Mankind" uses the Star Wars Aurebesh script to represent Cybertronian writing.

Wookieepedia has content relating to Aurebesh. Wookieepedia knows more about Star Wars than you do.

• The lettering used by Agoracer in the AllSpark Wars is taken from the "Ancient Autobot" font created by Jim Sorenson in the late '90s. This font was loosely based on the writing in "Cosmic Rust". The AllSpark Wars, as the first official usage of the font, retconned a canonical order to the language.

• Likewise, the lettering used by Agoraptor used Sorenson's Decepticon Graffiti font, based on the writing from Decepticon Graffiti!.

• The Ancient Autobot font has since shown up on Banzai-Tron's Timelines toy, on Burger King's Transform Your Way promotion, as a part of the Around Cybertron news broadcast, and on the cover to "All Hail Megatron" volume 3.

• The Decepticon Graffiti font has since been used as a part of the Revenge of the Fallen video game.

Autobot Characters

Decepticon Characters

Files

• Autobot Writing True Type Font
• Decepticon Writing True Type Font

See also

• Cybertronix
• Cyberglyphics
• Other languages