Most RPG players find, much to their dismay, that an RPG demands more than hand-eye coordination. Some basic language skills are also necessary. But you need not run out and sign up for Shakespearean studies.
A simple command of the two RPG languages will suffice. Everybody and everything (living or otherwise) in the entire RPG world speak only one language -- English or Japanese. This is a great aid to the hero/ine who will have no need to waste precious money on a book of translations. Very rarely, an item might be needed to make the local language completely understandable. Though this is annoying (and makes the hero/ine look embarrassingly like a tourist), any excuse for a mini-quest should be welcomed in order to prolong the hero/ine's time in the limelight.
If the hero/ine is somewhat lacking in language skills, a few tricks should help. The simplest solution is to Play Semi-Mute for the entire RPG. This is actually easier than it sounds, since people in an RPG are so talkative they will initiate and carry on entire conversations without the hero/ine needing to say anything more intelligent than yes and no.
Of course, there are times when emotions must be expressed. In such cases, Extreme Body Gestures usually do the trick. For example, if the hero/ine is surprised by a small cat, it isn't enough for him/her to merely raise the eyebrows and gasp. The hero/ine must stretch wide the mouth and eyes, jump up in the air, and fling his/her arms as far apart as possible. A yell can be added if so wished.
If speech is absolutely unavoidable, the hero/ine will be wise to befriend the Exclamation Mark, Question Mark, and of course the all-purpose Ellipsis. Despite what your elementary school teacher might have taught you, hero/ines can and should use these punctuations without the accompaniment of words. These punctuations used alone or in combinations can express a vast range of emotions, from anger to love to seasickness.
Because of their usefulness, many people you will encounter in the RPG world have a thorough mastery of punctuations. It is common for sentences to be punctuated contrary to the usual grammatical rules. In fact, you should not be surprised to find sentences where the number of punctuations far exceed the number of words.
Though speaking might not be a problem for the seasoned hero/ine, listening might be. Villagers in an RPG use a technique called Mindless Repetition in their conversations. After a certain period of talking, even the most intelligent villager will be reduced to at most a handful of phrases which the villager will tirelessly repeat until the hero/ine leaves the conversation in disgust. In some cases, entire clumps of villagers will repeat the same phrases. Though certain events might give the villagers inspiration to repeat a different phrase, the hero/ine, sadly, will never find a true conversationalist in the entire world.
You might be appalled at the speech inabilities found throughout an RPG, but you will eventually grow used to it. Soon, you will be able to read endless lines of ....!! and feel no urge to throw your grammar book at the screen. Unfortunately, those studying languages might find it a little harder to adjust. Such people are well-advised to take breaks in their RPG playing to read a book.
