Please contact us for a (free) detailed consultation and estimate: .
Professional language creation
The Language Creation Society (LCS) provides an agency service for people interested in having a new language created for one or more of their projects.
Such projects may include:
- a novel set in a fictional world
- a film or TV show that cares about giving depth to its alien species and foreign cultures
- a computer game with short flavor text, unit acks, or GUI decoration in an in-world language
- a role-playing game or other setting needing believable names, phrases, and linguistic culture
- ...and more, limited only by your imagination
From your perspective, the process is smooth and easy. We talk about your needs and the project details, exchange basic paperwork (we'll provide it or work with yours), and then you relax while our conlangers get to work creating a new language just for you. The result—possibly several proposals for you to choose from, depending on the project—are delivered to you in a single, professional package—already completely vetted and reviewed by us for quality.
The language made for you will incorporate and standardize any preexisting material you have, any cultural or aesthetic requirements you decide on, etc. It can optionally include a new writing system (typically packaged as a standard font usable in any word processor), recorded samples of all translated text and pronunciation guides, novel songs, or any other such needs.
A mid-level project will include a novel phonology (with pronunciation guide, guide for Yourlang-accented English, etc); novel grammar (with a linguistic sketch); ~1,000-2,000 words of vocabulary (plus ~50-100 sample names and a couple dozen phrases of cultural significance); and a full translation of one batch of material (including for each an interlinear that gives the exact pronunciation, morpheme-by-morpheme literal translation, English equivalent, recorded sample, and any notes needed about relevant subtleties of usage or grammar).
For some projects, such as TV shows and movies, we can do a moderate amount of "script polishing" related to the new language - e.g. creating appropriate detailed dialogue for sketched-out scenes.
It can take more than a year—or even more than a lifetime—to develop a complete and fully fleshed-out language, but the first stage of a typical project will take about two months to complete, after which further translations, etc. can be done within one month. We can accommodate significantly faster projects, depending on their scope, for an additional cost.
Previous clients
One of our previous clients was HBO, for whom we were asked to create the Dothraki language for their new TV show Game of Thrones. We provided them with multiple fully fleshed out proposals, script polishing, audio supplements, etc.
The producer of Game of Thrones, Dan Weiss, was "thrilled" with our work. "We're tremendously excited to be working with David and the LCS," says producer D.B. Weiss. "The language he's devised is phenomenal. It captures the essence of the Dothraki, and brings another level of richness to their world. We look forward to his first collection of Dothraki love sonnets."
We're certain that you'll be just as thrilled with the quality of our work and ease of working with us.
Why hire the LCS?
Simple: we make it easy and reliable.
In a typical mid-to-large sized project, we can provide multiple proposals for you—each already fully vetted—and you merely need to choose the one you like best aesthetically.
If you do it yourself, chances are that you simply don't have the skills needed, or the time to acquire them. It takes a fair amount of time to learn to do it well (though if you'd like to do so we're happy to help!). One needs to know a broad range of topics within linguistics, from phonology to pragmatics and typology, and in ways that are not easily acquired except by doing (and doing poorly) several times. And just linguistics is not enough; creating a language is quite different from describing one! By hiring us, you free yourself to concentrate on what you do best (writing, filming, coding, art, ...) and know that you'll have a great language that meshes well with your world.
If you hire someone directly, you have no guarantee that they know how to create a language (which is a specialized skill that most linguists do not have), that what they make will suit your needs, or that they'll come through at all. By hiring us, you can be certain that you'll get a highly skilled conlanger and that the job will be done—and done well. The LCS handles all assessment, negotiation, legal and tax requirements, etc., and will find appropriate conlangers for the job. All of these can be complicated things to do or evaluate on your own, especially if you don't have an intimate knowledge of the craft of language creation and the people in our community.
Our conlangers - ~40 in total - are the most experienced in the world, representing a wide variety of styles and specialties. Most have been making languages for years (or decades!), many have advanced degrees in linguistics, and all have demonstrated competence. You simply won't find better people.
All of our conlangers are under comprehensive non-disclosure agreements, and we can accomodate any reasonable needs for confidentiality—though of course we prefer to be able to tell everyone about your project!
What does it cost?
Initial consultation (determining what you need, what aesthetics you're aiming for, etc.) is free.
The cost of the language is divided between a one-time creation fee (to bootstrap the language), and a lower fee per item (or batch of items, like a single TV script) requiring translations and new words.
Cost depends significantly on a number of factors, including who will own the language, what extras you want, how difficult the requirements are, how urgently you need results, whether it is used for a large commercial venture or a small or nonprofit one, how extensive/thorough a language is needed, how much positive press we would get from it, etc.
The LCS takes a 10-15% cut of all proceeds; the rest goes to the conlanger(s) working on the project. Project fees are not tax-deductible, as they are paid for services rendered and not a donation.
As a ballpark estimate for a medium to large sized project, expect the initial cost to be ~$1,000-$20,000 and the batch cost for translations to be ~$500-$5,000 for about 10 additional pages of translated material. This includes a reasonable amount of post-delivery tweaking and other minor changes.
If your project is smaller - e.g. you only need a naming language with a consistent way to create words and a skeletal grammar that could be filled in later - then the cost is ~$200-$1,000.
We accept payment by check or PayPal; 50% of the initial cost is due upfront, 50% on delivery. You only pay us; we pay anyone else involved.
Please contact us for a (free) detailed consultation and estimate: .
Options
- Originality
- Fully original language
Made from scratch exactly to your needs - Licensed extant language
Choose from a number of existing conlangs. This is cheaper, since the language is already made, and can be better quality, since it's typically been worked on for longer. However, unlike an original language, it is licensed, not sold outright, and it is not customized to your project. - Translations into a public domain language
Get your dialogue in Esperanto, Quenya, Lojban, or another public language.
- Fully original language
- Language type
- A priori artistic language
The most common, this is a naturalistic language, but not derived from any extant world languages per se. Instead, an artlang's vocabulary and grammar are completely customized to fit aesthetically with a particular culture. - Alternate-historical language
Set in an alternate Earth, an alt-history language fits convincingly in an existing language family (e.g. Semitic, like Arabic and Hebrew), or is a plausible projection of what would happen if two languages came into contact and creolized (e.g. if Thailand invaded France, what would they speak in 100 years?). Our linguists have combined expertise spanning nearly all the world's language families. - Auxiliary language
Meant to be extremely easy to learn and culturally neutral, an auxlang typically is made by combining vocabulary from a wide variety of natural languages together with a streamlined, simplified grammar.
- A priori artistic language
- Extras
- Constructed script
A custom made writing system to your aesthetic guidelines. Can be made to retcon existing artistic material into a real, consistent orthography. Extra cost ~$100-$1,000, depending on complexity. Alphabetic writing systems come packaged as a standard font; for more complex scripts, please ask. - Multiple proposals
Instead of getting just one final proposal, get 3-7 representative samples to choose from, for an extra upfront fee of ~20-50%. You only get to pick one to be completed, but more choices = more certainty of getting a proposal you really like aesthetically. If you decide to pick more than one, you can do so for a discount off the normal full price. - Rush service
Need something done in days or weeks, not two months? Depending on your needs, we can do this. Contact us for an estimate. - Bulk order & language families
Need more than one language for the same project, like one for each of several different tribes? Not only do you get a discount, we can ensure that the languages have whatever historical interrelationships you desire. - On-site support
A limited amount of phone consultation to help you learn how to pronounce your new language is of course free. However, some projects (e.g. film, TV) may need more extensive, on-site support - from dialogue coaching for actors to on-the-spot revisions and extensions to the language or translations. Available for a per diem rate plus travel costs.
- Constructed script
- Documentation / translation language
Need work in a language other than English? Our conlangers also claim fluency in:- Croatian
- Danish
- Esperanto
- French
- German
- Italian
- Nahuatl
- Portugese
- Slovenian
- Spanish