Translate This

"Translate This" is the third episode in the Sonic Boom television series. It first aired on 15 November 2014 in the United States and on 19 November 2014 in France.

Synopsis
Tails builds a translation robot that inadvertently reveals the subtext of what everyone is saying. This leads to disagreements and fighting among Sonic and friends.

Characters

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Amy Rose
 * Sticks the Badger
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Orbot
 * Cubot
 * UT
 * Mega
 * Moto Bug (multiple)
 * Buzz Bomber (multiple)
 * Crabmeat (multiple)

Plot

 * For the transcript of this episode, see Translate This/Transcript.

The story begins with Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and Sticks having a nice, relaxing day at Sonic's Shack. Sonic and Amy are enjoying the sun and Knuckles and Sticks are playing volleyball. Just then, Tails arrives with his "most brilliant invention yet" which he shows is a robot he calls "UT" (Universal Translator), capable of translating any language into their own. To demonstrate its capabilities to his friends, Tails activates UT and it translates the language of a bird in a nearby nest. Knuckles is impressed until UT begins saying what Knuckles says as something completely different, and Tails reveals that even when UT receives something that does not need to be translated, it will translate it into what the speaker really means, making it a form of mind reader. UT then begins translating the subtexts of the group's conversations, such as Amy's disinterest in UT, Knuckles' low opinion about Sticks, and Sonic's notes about Knuckles dimwittedness, which causes tension among them. Sticks however, just dislikes UT for being a threat. Amy then convinces Tails to shut down UT before it reveals anything "too sensitive" (just before it reveals from Amy's statement that she loves Sonic).

At Dr. Eggman's lair, Dr. Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot are observing Team Sonic's conversation through a fly-shaped camera. Noticing the friction UT is creating between the team members, Eggman gets an idea: if he could replace UT with an duplicate of his own, he would be able to make it say anything he want, thereby causing Team Sonic to be at the throats of one another. And with the group divided, he would be able to destroy them. Later that night, Tails is going to bed in his house nearby UT, hurt that his friends did not like his new invention but hopes it will go better tomorrow. As Tails falls asleep, Orbot and Cubot sneak into his house, steal UT, and replace it with Eggman's duplicate.

The next morning, Tails meets up with his friends at the beach again with the UT duplicate to get another chance. Sonic suggests to Tails that he should turn UT off when the robot "translates" Sonic's comment into insults about Amy and Knuckles' replies into insults at himself and Sticks, causing them all to argue. It turns out that the translations were coming from Eggman through a microphone at his lair. Eggman takes a liking to UT who translates his monologue into praise about the doctor, which earns him a break. When examining the UT duplicate for flaws, Tails discovers it is a fake made by Eggman and sets out to rescue the real UT. However, he discovers that the others are not coming as they find UT more trouble than it is worth. Tails therefore leaves on his own.

Tails infiltrates Eggman's lair, passing its Moto Bug defenses, and intrudes on the doctor. As Tails is cornered by Eggman's robots he offers a deal with Eggman; he lets UT go free and Tails will become the doctor's assistant. Eggman accepts the offer and has Orbot draw up a contract, when he realizes Sonic will no doubt launch a rescue mission to free Tails. To ensure it would not happen, Tails has UT take a message to his friends where he says he is staying with Eggman of his own free will. UT later returns to Sonic, Knuckles, Amy and Sticks where it shows the message, shocking them all. However, UT then translates the subtext of Tails' message into a call for help and Sonic and the others head out to save him.

While Tails and Eggman are working in the lair's lab, Sonic and the others attack the lair with UT, destroying the robotic sentries. Eggman arrives at the battle with Tails, where he insists Tails is staying with him since they had a contract. However, Orbot just arrives with the contract, unsigned, so Tails leaves. Eggman therefore calls forth the Mega, a robot that proves impervious to Team Sonic's attacks. However, when the Mega deploys its photon bombs, Sticks and Knuckles manage to knock one back at the robot, blowing it into the sea, and Eggman retreats back into his lair. Tails thanks his friends for the rescue, but they reply they could not have done it without UT and promise more adventures together with it. However, UT reveals that Sticks plans to destroy UT; she follows through with this by hurling it off a cliff, informing Tails that "it had to be done."

Continuity

 * The Mega first appears, but without being named. It would return again in "Unlucky Knuckles" and "The Meteor".

Goofs

 * When Eggman and Tails are talking, Eggman's mustache shrinks for a few seconds.

Trivia

 * This episode was first revealed on the 2014 Sonic Boom event.
 * This episode aired in France as the fourth episode in the series.
 * Tails recording a holographic message with UT is reminiscent to a scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which the character Princess Leia records a holographic message on the small droid R2-D2.
 * The book that Amy reads in the beginning of the episode is Sonic's Autobiography, an item that can be found in Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal in Q-N-C's Toy Shop.