Here's how the language system actually functions when you're exploring. The key is watching for knowledge stones, which briefly glow before revealing new words - you'll want to interact right as the alien text materializes for fastest learning. Position yourself near trading posts and space stations since npcs there consistently use specific dialogue patterns, perfect for practicing translations.

The three main races - gek vy'keen and korvax - each have distinct vocabulary but share the same underlying structure, so once you learn the pattern for one, you can apply it across all three. When interacting with aliens, pay attention to the highlighted words in their speech bubbles - these are your known translations while the alien script represents unknowns. The recovery window after learning a new word is when you'll best understand the full context.

Good to know - monoliths give you guaranteed word learning opportunities with a 60-second cooldown between interactions. At higher reputation levels with each race, they start incorporating more complex dialogue patterns which you can prepare for by stockpiling atlas passes and keeping track of your known vocabulary percentage. Timing your knowledge stone interactions between npc conversations helps maintain a steady learning progression while keeping an eye on those main translation patterns.

The interface clearly shows unknown words in alien script while known words appear normally, making it easier to track your progress through each race's language tree. When you notice the alien text starting to shift that means you're about to learn something new - get ready to interact fast for the smoothest learning experience.