Do Daleks have their own language?

Question

I've only ever watched the new Doctor Who (2005) and have been wondering: if the Daleks are from another planet then:

• Do they have their own language?
• Is it just the TARDIS translating their speech into English?
• Was this ever explained in the classic series?

Answer 1

Yes, it appears they do. Or at least the Kaled's they 'evolved' from did. For instance Skaro, the home planet of the Kaleds, translates as home.

Various scraps can be found on the web about this, and some words they retained. I can't source most of these here, but they tend to come from the ancillary sources of Dr Who Cannon (comics, audio series, novels etc), which are all considered canon in a wibbly-wobbly canony-wanony way.

Here is a page on the Dalek Language which shows some of the script, but all of the images are from the later series.

Interestingly I've heard (unsourced on wikipedia) that the robotic part of a Dalek contains a translator, so even when the tardis isn't around one of those monstrosities can understand an 'alien language'.

So yes they do, but very little probably remains, and as with most languages in sci-fi, it's glossed over so that the audience understands what is happening.

Answer 2

In one of the novels, one of the names the Daleks use for the Doctor is 'Ka Faraq Gatri', which translates to something like 'Destroyer of Worlds'. So, the Daleks almost certainly have their own language, but it is nearly always translated.

Answer 3

On skaro Dr. identified himself as an alien, and eventhough they all spoke english in Season 12 "Genesis of the Daleks", it was not clear if it was tardis translated or not. Daleks which were created by Davros talked english as well with the Doctor and mentioned the word EXTERMINATE which is used later on as is. So it is not clear..