I think it would enable cheesy approaches to language without any real tangible benefit, skewed mostly toward specific classes. Remember that 3.5 presumes language is a goal to be overcome by your party, hence the spell. Our community’s a little different.
First off, I'll note that you didn't refute or otherwise respond to any of my points, but nonetheless I will respond to yours.
If it's a supported spell, it is clearly not cheesing:
"Cheesing" is the act of playing your character as if they have an ability or feat which the NWN engine would not otherwise allow them to have. (
Zarathustra)
As far as being skewed toward specific classes, all new spells are inherently skewed toward spelllcasting classes (and if scrolls are added, those who can UMD). Moreover, I don't find it odd at all that fighters and barbarians are less likely to find ways to address their deficiency of languages than classes like wizards, bards, rogues, and clerics.
How is our server "a little different"? I mean in the specific context of what we're talking about--because I see all sorts of things as "needing" changing or being shot down to match 3.5 as though that's very much a goal of the Devs.
In point of fact, assuming 3.5 is oriented toward player character parties would make language concerns, if anything,
less necessary. A party of six might be able to represent through diversity enough languages to speak with almost anyone they were likely to encounter.
Turning to "tangible benefit," I don't know what sort of RP you've been witnessing, but I've not once--not a single time--seen language tags used to hide secrets on the server. (Of course not, because everyone can still read what's in the tags.) What I've seen languages used for is flavor, fleshing the PC out, and immersion. I also see PCs from time to time use it for obfuscation, but only in this way: when they want to insult another PC without the PC being aware of it IC. The language tag is then used so, for example, a PC can insult a garda without the garda being able to retaliate because the garda isn't "supposed to know" what the PC said. The reason this is done, though, is so everyone knows OOCly the garda has been insulted; otherwise, the comment would be whispered.
Much more often (playing a PC who has limited language skills and trying
not to cheese), I have to ask other PCs to translate for me or even repeat what is said. Or they greet me and I ignore their greeting. I'm not complaining about this per se, because I chose my build. What I'm saying is the other PCs are inconvenienced by my not understanding, rather than feeling if I understood them I would somehow gain an unfair advantage.
The benefit, then, is a normal, standard 3.5 means of casters behaving as casters likely would: using their magic to do things like attend a play in Port-a-Lucine and understand what is going on. Or a trial. Or going to the Elven Court and RPing with the Elves without forcing all the Elves to speak in Common.
For clerics at least, in a 4th level slot it's not likely a spell to be carried around prepared and used spontaneously to listen secretly in on a conversation. Casting it would very likely reveal the PC's intent, and doing so in Vallaki would raise OCR. It would require forethought and preparation--for situations such as those described above.
To be sure, I can park my PC in any of these places and understand perfectly OOCly what's being said.
But that would be
cheesing.
