Dear Tanija,

I am writing to address several important aspects of your recent experience.

Firstly, we must extend our apologies for the inadvertent release of the "raw" Echo to you. These Echoes are typically reserved for Custodians to interpret and transcribe, a critical part of our process in aiding seekers like yourself. Since you have already accessed the "raw" Echo, we have re-uploaded it in its original form for your reference. However, we urge you to exercise caution and discretion; refrain from printing or sharing this document, as it is vital to maintain the confidentiality of The Archive's inner workings.

Our method of requesting Echoes from the Bibliothecarians is intentionally non-verbal to avoid influencing their interpretations with the tone or language of the Custodian. The Bibliothecarian's response is then conveyed to us through a relay device (a computer), and sent to a printer which outputs the raw Echo which you inadvertently received.

The process of extracting trances from Bibliothecarians is unique. They use EEG caps to monitor brain activity during their visionary states. These readings, combined with notes, drawings, and voice recordings, are then compiled into the "raw" Echo. Enclosed with this letter is an image of a Bibliothecarian, al-Farabi (a descendant of the renowned al-Farabi), captured in this process. Please do not download, print, or share this image.

Regarding your question about Unix time, its use stems from the dated technology of the Bibliothecarians and their multinational network. While not specifically significant, Unix time serves as a universal system within their diverse network, accommodating various global calendars. Soon Cyrus will unlock a portal in the Compendium for you to explore more about Unix time and the technology used if helpful.

As for your Bishopthorpe Echo, I recommend spending some time in reflection. Echoes are personal domains for reflection. I can say that it appears to be a "twig," suggesting your life path realigned to its original "branch" after the Bishopthorpe period.

We are committed to guiding you purposefully through The Archive and look forward to facilitating your journey of discovery.

With warm regards,

Eleonora

On Translations:

(Ordinarily you would receive this note explaining our transcribing process including name handling along with your first Echo.)

Some Bibliothecrian’s speak English, however most are versed in Hindi, Tamil, Odia, or Malay. That said, names from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds often don’t have direct equivalents in other languages. In cases where names need to be adapted or translated across languages with different scripts and phonetic systems, the approach is usually to phonetically transcribe them. For example: "Meredith," a phonetic transcription in Tamil would aim to approximate the sound of the name using Tamil script.

A phonetic approximation of "Meredith" in Tamil could be மெரெடித் (Meredit)… which phonetically sounds akin to the masculine “Merrit” which when reading an Echo could be a cause for some confusion. This is part of the work of the custodians. On a first Echo we fictionalize names because of this, and we usually inform seekers when names are fictionalized, to prevent premature contact with entities in the Echoes.