Babel Fish

By putting a Babel Fish into one's ear one can instantly understand anything said in any language; this is how Arthur Dentis able to comprehend the other beings he encounters on his travels in the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. The Babel fish has led to significant and profound consequences for the Universe; apart from the philosophical implications, the Babel fish has started more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation, because it has removed all barriers to communication.

Why do I bring up the Babel Fish today? Because there is a chap at work who despite having English as a second language manages to say things whereby I can understand every word he says but not have a clue what he is talking about. I really need a Babel Fish when I talk to him because without one, I'm just lost and have to resort to nodding and smiling in what I hope too be all the right places but probably aren't at all.