Jin: No, you're speaking Korean.
A character gets the ability to hear a character who speaks a different language speak the former's own language.
In most cases the latter is aware of this, but in some cases the latter will think the former suddenly gained the ability to understand their language or not even realize the former isn't a native speaker of their language. In some works this ability will be gifted to them by a magical character, while in others the magic takes its course without anyone's help. If it's a human character who gets the ability to hear what animals are saying, it might result in the former saying You Can Talk? or something along those lines. Often happens with Animorphism.
Related to the Translation Convention. A form of overcoming a Language Barrier. Compare Inexplicable Language Fluency and Translator Microbes. Contrast Bilingual Dialogue.
Examples
- In The Foreigner, a Beauty and the Beast fanfic, Gaston and the titular character, an American girl, are unable to communicate with each other until the Enchantress gives her the ability to hear what French people are saying.
- Brother Bear: Kenai gets the ability to hear what animals are saying after being turned into a bear.
- Pocahontas: Grandma Smith, a talking willow tree, gives John Smith the ability to hear what Native Americans are saying.
- The Princess and the Frog: Tiana and Naveen get the ability to hear what animals are saying after being turned into frogs.
- Dr. Dolittle: The title character gets the ability to hear what animals are saying, a childhood ability that he lost as he grew up, but miraculously came back when he runs a dog over and it calls him a bonehead.
- Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever: Crystal gets the ability to hear what the title character is saying.
- Zigzagged in The Hunt for Red October. Jack is surprised when he can hear Ramius speak English, but it's unclear whether Jack got the ability to hear what Russians are saying, or if Russians speak English in-universe and just keep their ability to speak English a secret from Americans.
- Pokémon Detective Pikachu: Subverted. Tim is surprised when he can hear Detective Pikachu speak English, but it's later revealed that this is because Detective Pikachu is actually Tim's father.
- Harry Potter: The title character has the ability to hear what snakes are saying.
- In an episode of Lost, Hurley gets the ability to hear what Jin, the Korean, is saying. Although this turns out to be just a dream.
- Littlest Pet Shop (2012): Subverted. In The Pilot this seems to be the reason the Translation Convention is in effect whenever we see the animals from Blythe's perspective, since it isn't in effect until Blythe has an accident with the dumbwaiter and hitting her head. But she says she can understand them, not hear them.
