Steve Long

Quoted from the power, with emphasis added by me.

A character with this Talent can understand any form of communication — from verbal speech, to obscure body language, to written text — and communicate back in a crude fashion. He must make an INT Roll; if successful he comprehends what is being said or read. ...

 

Universal Translator only allows a character to translate what he hears or reads, and to make a reasonable response; he does not know the language.

So, as it says, the character could speak or read the language, and make appropriate responses of the same types (spoken or written). As the text notes, he won't be fluent, always has to make rolls, always has an accent, and so on.

It's not in the FAQ, but it is, in fact, the subject of next month's "HEROglyphs" column in Digital Hero, where I explore the subject in a little more depth.

The month after that I tackle time manipulation -- rewinding, fast forwarding, all that sorta stuff.