Detect Thoughts and language

[Magus Coeruleus]

Does whether or not you speak the language of a creature affect the kind of information you can get from its surface thoughts with Detect Thoughts?

For instance, if you were to use Detect Thoughts on a Goblin while your friend who speaks Goblin interrogates it, could you understand its "internal speech," or would you just "hear" Goblin-speak that you can't understand, along with more general images and feelings that you can understand, much as from a nonspeaking creature?

Excerpted from the SRD:

Detect Thoughts

The character detect surface thoughts. The amount of information revealed depends on how long the character studies a particular area or subject:

1st Round: Presence or absence of thoughts (from conscious creatures with Intelligence scores of 1 or higher).

2nd Round: Number of thinking minds and the mental strength of each.

3rd Round: Surface thoughts of any mind in the area. A target’s Will save prevents the character from reading its thoughts, and the character must cast detect thoughts again to have another chance. Creatures of animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2) have simple, instinctual thoughts that the character can pick up.

 

[Crothian]

As people do think in their own language, I have always ruled that you must be able to speak the language to understand. However, you might be able to pick things up by how they are thinking.

 

[bret]

It isn't marked Language Dependent (like Command or Suggestion are) so by the rules no.

I can see a GM giving less information if you don't know their native language, but you should get the general gist of what is happening in their head.