okay but how did the Darmok aliens teach their children to talk
maybe you start out learning the phrases without knowing the mythological origins, only the meanings they're intended to convey
but if you do it that way they're basically just words and a universal translator should be able to process them
so maybe once you know enough phrases to keep up with a conversation, your teacher has to explain the mythos entirely in terms of references to other parts of the mythos, and then you're able to express yourself with your own references to myth as well as the stock phrases you already learned
this started out as a gripe but actually I think we can make this work
though for everyday non-heroic uses you're going to need a deep index of mythological heroes who have to remember to get toilet paper next time they're at the store
Arguably, the mythos is ingrained in their culture, more than likely to the point that they teach the meaning behind the words And the mythos at the same time with picture and gestures. And most likely they have stories of Lesser heros used in everyday syntax that make up regional dialects. The major heros and historical events are probably known throughout their planet as a cultural zeitgeist, a culmination of different sporadic groups melding their history. And just as our myths and legends change slightly with each retelling, so to would their language. And since the way the language works is the Intent behind the actions of the person or historical events in the mythos, arguably the translator cannot fully parse the language, as most language is the conveyance of the intent of the speaker, the one being spoken to, or a third party. The Darmak aliens language is the intent of someone in the past, but inflected onto their or anothers actions in the present.