Comprehend Speech

Comprehend Speech or Language Absorption was a Force ability that enabled a Jedi or Sith to understand the spoken language of any sentient they were interacting with, though it does not necessarily allow them to speak it, merely understand the general meaning. It is possibly an extension of the Telepathy power, as Revan was described as "ripping the Rakatan language from their minds," comprehending their tongue only moments after meeting them. Obi-Wan Kenobi also demonstrated this ability on Nelvaan, having been able to understand and translate the speech of a Nelvaanian shaman Orvos, though some of the nuances of the speech evaded him. This power proved ineffective at comprehending the language of extremely xenophobic cultures, as evidenced by Revan's inability to understand the Sand People dialect. It can be guessed that cultures that actively refuse contact with other cultures, such as not caring whether a particular individual can communicate with them or not, can negate this ability. Use of the ability was aided if the sentient itself was Force-sensitive to some degree, as demonstrated when Luke Skywalker encountered the Qom Jha on Nirauan and found he understood their language without making an attempt to interpret it.

This power was known to the Witches of Dathomir as the Spell of Interpretation.

Mace Windu used this ability to understand Kar Vastor's guttural language.

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