We must, of course, assume that said microbes work either by imparting the ability to speak a common language (in which case, the characters are using Translator Microbes, but the audience is really experiencing the Translation Convention) or that the microbes substantially alter the listener's perceptions, as otherwise, they would appear to be dubbed over like in a foreign film rather than merely speaking English (a good example of this, sans aliens, occurs near the start of the 1980s Dune movie). This is distinct from a Translation Convention, where the aliens appear to be speaking English solely for the audience's benefit. It is commonly used to Hand Wave the appearance of Aliens Speaking English, by implying that the aliens are actually speaking in their native tongue and their words are being automatically translated for the (in-universe) characters' benefit. Also known as a " Universal Translator", this is a special kind of Applied Phlebotinum that automatically translates communication from the speaker's language into the listener's, thus removing those pesky "language barriers" from between people of different countries, times, species or planets.
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