Master of Tongues

Portrait of Ronan Hill, Master of Tongues to Emperor Tengu the Sot

The Master of Tongues (恶魔音箱) was the chief interpreter to the imperial court of Daxia. The position was first created during the Chen dynasty and persisted through the Zhong and Qian periods. The Master of Tongues was a very important functionary and was one of the chief aides to the ministers in charge of foreign affairs. In Daxian idiosyncrasy the speaking of foreign tongues was considered disgraceful and unbecoming of a proper Daxian, therefore the task of acting as interpreters fell to foreigners. These were usually former slaves bought, received as tribute or captured from enemy territories. Most of the early royal interpreters were of Muslim origin due to the Chen dynasty's frequent interaction with former Oduniyyad polities and a handful of Muslim families monopolized the position for decades. As Daxia turned its sights to the east, the prominence of Muslim interpreters came to an end, replaced most frequently by Sarpedonians and Levantians in the position. The taboo on native Daxians learning other languages gradually faded away and foreigners were employed less frequently during the late imperial period. During the Qian dynasty many of those who rose to the position were also dwarfs or Jews.

History

The existence of royal interpreters in the courts of Daxia is documented as far back as the Xie dynasty. The Shang dynasty employed a position called the Grand Speaker whose duties were near identical to the Master of Tongues, the key difference being the Shang did not employ foreigners for the position. The last emperor of the Chen dynasty, Cai Leng, issued the edict of prohibition on speaking foreign languages by his Daxian courtiers; he reportedly did this out of paranoia and so they wouldn't betray him to foreign powers. Concurrently he created the position of Master of Tongues and appointed a polyglot from Rusana