The Alien Language

Learning new words of different alien dialects is an interesting mechanic, which enables the player to effectively communicate with alien NPCs. The type of dialect you can learn is determined by the dominant alien race that governs the solar system that you're in. Although you can certainly interact with the aliens without knowing a single word, this will involve making wild guesses as to what the NPC actually wants when the dialogue tree appears. And giving the wrong answer will put them off causing you to not get anything. I personally found learning new words pretty fun, so it's something I'd recommend players to take time and do.

There are three ways to learn new words. One is through interacting with a knowledge stone (a round pillar with light in the middle); these stones appear at random during planet exploration and will teach one word from the language of the dominant alien race of that system. Another way is by checking out plaques/ruins and monoliths.

The former can be tracked with a signal scanner (requires bypass chip). You can learn a couple of words at most after receiving a history lesson from these structures. As for monoliths, you get a pop quiz upon checking one and then pretty much just have to guess what the correct answer is. You get rewards for making the right choice too.

The one final way to pick up new words is by bartering with alien NPCs in trading outposts and space stations. They will usually ask for something and its up to you to decipher what they want. If you select the correct answer, the NPC will sometimes give you a recipe as well as teach you one word from their language. There are several trophies that unlock when you learn a certain amount of alien words so this something trophy hunters will want to invest quite a bit of time on.