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SUPPOSE we invent a translation device that enables us to talk with animals – and hear their replies. This could be good for the planet, especially if we learned to say “sorry” to the species we have pushed close to extinction. It would definitely be good for us, says writer Matthew de Abaitua, who presents this clever speculation about how artificial intelligence might help us understand animal languages.

No two species experience the world in the same way, so if animals have language at all, they are talking and thinking about different worlds. How, then, can translation progress?

We already use machine-learning algorithms to translate between human languages. These spot words that tend to appear next to each other. By matching these patterns across languages, a machine begins to translate. The hope is that by listening to squeaks and songs, the same method may spot common terms in the languages of other species.

The differences in life experience between species are huge. A loquacious bat may struggle to describe echolocation to a human. A dolphin may not be able to offer a bat much insight into the experience of an animal whose breath is the outcome of a conscious decision. A human may struggle to explain taxes to a dolphin. But bat, dolphin and human may still be able to talk about common experiences like hunger, danger and family.

The Dolittle Machine is a superb distillation of a complex area. The possibilities it conjures leave us feeling a bit less alone.