Why would you abandon the story over that? *puzzled*
The question of "How would Xander deal with multiple language issue" is a very good one and it's a common sense question as far as I can see. The fact is, I'm more surprised that more people aren't taking on that issue in their Africander stories. Some people get around it by basing Xander in an Anglophone country, or have him toting around a translator, or have him consulting phrase books, but by and large, I haven't seen too many people tackle the issue.
But that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be tackled.
I chose using Klingon because: 1) It struck me as a very Xander thing to do; 2) It's funny as all hell; 3) It says something about Roger Wyndham-Pryce that he didn't bother to look into Xander's "secret language" at all, because he would've easily discovered what it was; 4) It solved the issue of how to get around the multiple language issue since Xander in canon knows Klingon; 5) I used the Klingon thing in Living History, so it fits my personal fanon that Xander at one time was fluent in Klingon.
Using International Sign Language is a completely different answer to the puzzle and it's an original one that simply didn't occur to me. If I read a story where Xander got around the problem using International Sign Language or some other solution (i.e., Esperanto), I certainly wouldn't think twice about it. I would say, "Hey! This author thought the problem through! Good on them!"
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the multiple language issue is a "real world problem" that really can't be ignored if you've got Xander running around Africa. That means you have to solve it one way or the other, whether it's Xander using Klingon as a lingua franca or using International Sign Language to communicate with his non-English speaking Slayers.
That's not stealing someone else's ideas and it's not even close to stealing someone else's ideas. That's using your brain to solve a problem.
no subject
The question of "How would Xander deal with multiple language issue" is a very good one and it's a common sense question as far as I can see. The fact is, I'm more surprised that more people aren't taking on that issue in their Africander stories. Some people get around it by basing Xander in an Anglophone country, or have him toting around a translator, or have him consulting phrase books, but by and large, I haven't seen too many people tackle the issue.
But that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be tackled.
I chose using Klingon because: 1) It struck me as a very Xander thing to do; 2) It's funny as all hell; 3) It says something about Roger Wyndham-Pryce that he didn't bother to look into Xander's "secret language" at all, because he would've easily discovered what it was; 4) It solved the issue of how to get around the multiple language issue since Xander in canon knows Klingon; 5) I used the Klingon thing in Living History, so it fits my personal fanon that Xander at one time was fluent in Klingon.
Using International Sign Language is a completely different answer to the puzzle and it's an original one that simply didn't occur to me. If I read a story where Xander got around the problem using International Sign Language or some other solution (i.e., Esperanto), I certainly wouldn't think twice about it. I would say, "Hey! This author thought the problem through! Good on them!"
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the multiple language issue is a "real world problem" that really can't be ignored if you've got Xander running around Africa. That means you have to solve it one way or the other, whether it's Xander using Klingon as a lingua franca or using International Sign Language to communicate with his non-English speaking Slayers.
That's not stealing someone else's ideas and it's not even close to stealing someone else's ideas. That's using your brain to solve a problem.