How The Sims developers created its language, Simlish

Simlish is the gibberish language used by Sims characters has been one of The Sims’ most instantly recognizable features. It is as funny as it is funny and adds an edgy flair to the simulation game.

A new episode of The… Twenty thousand HertzDallas Taylor, host of this podcast, talks to various series developers about the process behind the language. Claire Curtin is a Sims designer and voiceover director who was responsible for creating Simlish.

Although the language has some commonly used words, like “sul sul,” which means hello, the vast majority of Simlish is made up on the spot by voice actors. Simlish had been based on Ukrainian and Estonian language but developers ended up creating a universal language anyone could comprehend, composed of brainless babbling. The goal was to create a language with no structure, which would not repeat, so players didn’t end up hearing the same voice line over and over while tinkering with the game.

Curtin tried an improv technique to make Simlish. One actor would perform a poem in gibberish and the other actor would translate it into English for the audience. Curtin brought two voice actors into the studio while recording; they would see animations of the characters moving, and then they’d voice their own ideas of what it should sound like. The team could do as many as 20 takes at a time, switching back and forth. The Simlish Language was born.

The language is improvisational, so anyone can learn it. Interviews in this podcast show the difficulties of using Simlish in compelling and fascinating ways. Jerry Martin worked as an audio director in The Sims with stars who were later hired to perform voice-overs. His clients included Katy Perry and Soulja Boy. They all made Simlish versions some of their songs. Drew Carey is a comedian, host and actor who Martin worked alongside. It’s a good priceCarey, who appeared in The Sims House Party Expansion Pack as a guest. According to Martin, Carey “couldn’t do the Simlish” and had to see it written out instead.

So, what’s the trick to it? Krizia Bajos is a voice actress who worked for almost ten years on The Sims. She shared more details with the host about how she speaks the language. “I think a lot of it – and I think this is true to most artistic endeavors – is the ability to release control for stuff like this.” She said, “You really just gotta be able to flow and be relaxed about it.”