The Translation Project
2017
2017
In this collaboration project with poet Arlyce Menzies, we took one English poem that Arlyce wrote and asked 29 of our friends and family members to translate it into different languages by handwriting and voice recording. And then we asked the translators to ask their friends and family members to "retranslate" the poems back into English.
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For the presentation of the project on March 29, 2017, I made 50 envelopes, each with two smaller envelopes in it, and gave them to the audience.
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The outermost envelope is an epigraph composed of names of our translators, as well as the names of people to whom the translators wanted to dedicate those poems.
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The second envelope includes two charts comparing the different translations: one is about the recurrence of the words in the retranslations, the other is about the sound recording of the poems.
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The innermost envelope is the only one among the three that is sealed with wax. I copied the handwritten translations with a wooden stick, leaving no ink marks so that people can only "feel" the words, instead of reading the words. I want the blankness to convey the idea that there are things that cannot get translated through language.
This envelope was not meant to be opened, although a lot of our audience members did break the wax seal. However, when they opened the envelope and found that there was nothing in there, the idea still worked that words are sometimes unable to convey certain feelings. |
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The audience is also presented with a sound composition made of recordings in which our translators read their poems. I stacked 24 recordings into the following audio piece:
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The voices each have a unique vibe, yet they coexist together, which is, in my opinion, how different lives exist in this world.
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The original poem by Arlyce is as follows:
Love Poem to Brian and to you Because love has been for me a full kettle hot, risen loaf room closed from wind a dry cot, bloodshed stopped weapons laid quiet wounds cleaned and dressed a line held, a limit lifted looking past, pointing out joy more complete Because love is for me new each morning, as we choose, choose I will reshape love for you. |
Arlyce also did a variation poem which she called "translation collage poem":
Love Poem of Love Song for You Because love has been for me love for me has become with you all this was love to me a full kettle hot, risen loaf steaming kettle, leavened bread loafed, rising, puffed up bread room closed, sealed, sheltered, shielded from wind a dry cot, bloodshed stopped a spilling of blood stilled bleed stemmed, clots carnage ends weapons laid quiet, silently buried in earth stowed, abandoned, at rest wounds cleaned and dressed a line held in the sand, withdrawn a campaign, steady, protected a limit lifted, border creased, hoisted erased, a frontier taken down looking past, pointing out hints, revealing joy more complete, perfect, total sheer joy Because love is for me each night new every morning as we choose, I choose, we choose, choose I will reshape love for you I will renew my love for you change my, rebuild my I will give new form to my love for you. |
Appendix 1: Handwritten translations
Appendix 2: Translations back into English
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Original poem
Because love has been for me a full kettle hot, risen loaf room closed from wind a dry cot, bloodshed stopped weapons laid quiet wounds cleaned and dressed a line held, a limit lifted looking past, pointing out joy more complete Because love is for me new each morning, as we choose, choose I will reshape love for you. |
Arabic to English
Because love in my opinion was like a hot kettle, bread, and a room without the entrance of wind. And also it was like a dry bed, the stop of bloodshed, weapons placed on the ground, wound being cleaned and wrapped. And also it was like a preserved line, a broken boundary, and when when we review it, we feel happy. And because love in my opinion is always new every morning when we choose and choose, we will reshape it with a new appearance for you. |
Armenian to English
Because love for me has been an overfull warm pot, rising bread, room sheltered from the wind dry bed, bleed stemmed guns silenced wounds mended clean a hidden line, erased borders a new outlook, leading to a more complete joy because love for me is new every morning, when we choose, we choose I’ll give new form to my love for you |
Azeri Turkish to English
Because love is mine Full hot kettle, piece of loaf Room far away wind Stopped blood Threw out gun Close and clean wound Banned line, limited altitude Abt happiness Because love is mine Every new morning, every choice that I have Again my love is for you! |
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Belarusian to English
Because to me love is like a hot overflowing teapot, and fresh loaf of bread just out of the oven, a room shielding from the wind, a cabin, dry after the bloodshed, like arms stowed after battle, like dressing wounds in peace, the line is held, frontiers are taken down, like a flashback revealing my sheer joy, because to me love changes every morning, as we keep on making choices, I will change love for you too. |
Chinese to English
Because love for me Is the warm bread that just come out of the oven Placed in a room that no wind breezes Is the dry camp bed, and all killings end All weapons are put down All wounds are wrapped and cleaned Is the string that connects to the infinite Looking into the past And pointing to the joy of wholeness Because love for me Is renewed everyday through choices For you I reshape my love |
French 3 to English
Because all this was love to me A steaming kettle, leavened bread A bedroom to keep out the breeze Dry cots for when the carnage ends Weapons abandoned, at-ease All wounds cleaned then dressed A line withdrawn, borders creased So that looking past there’s the sight Of joy, total and complete Because love for me each night Is the morning that we choose I will shape my love to you. |
German to English
Love was for me like a full kettle hot, a loafed loaf, a room sheltered from the wind, a dry lounger, blood sealed, weapons shut down, sore wounded and connected, campaign lines held, a border, prepositions, hints, joy Because the love for me is new every morning, I choose, Choose to make the love for you new. |
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Italian 2 to English
Because love was for me A full kettle, hot, a rising loaf A room closed to wind A dry cot, the shedding of blood is ceased, the arms calmed, the wounds cleaned and bandaged. A line held, an absolute border Looking beyond, pointing out The most complete joy. Because love is for me Every morning is new, how we Choose, choose I will remodel love for you. |
Italian 3 to English
Because love was always for me A full coffee-pot, a round leavened loaf A room without draughts A dry cradle, a stopped massacre Of weapons at rest Of wounds cleaned and dressed A steady line, a hoisted limit To look beyond, to observe Perfect joy Because love for me is New every morning, as we choose it, I choose To reshape love for you |
Japanese to English
To me, this thing called love is A teakettle filled with hot water, puffed up bread A room where the wind doesn’t reach Flowing blood stopped by clots Weapons quietly laid down A clean and healed wound A protected battlefront, a boundary surpassed Look through and beyond, point your finger Full joy To me, this thing called love is Something new each morning, something you can choose, I will rebuild my love for you. |
Korean to English
Love was like this for me warm kettle, puffy bread, room that blocks the wind dry bed, dry blood, silently laid weapon disinfected wound string held tight, extended limitation, looking back to the past, pointing out, and more complete joy Because love was like this for me, every morning feels new, it feels right as if we chose this, and I make a new love for you. |
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Russian 1 to English
Since love for me has become with you A kettle boiling on the stove, rising bread A room closed off from the winds A dry bunk, war stopped Weapons silenced Wounds washed and bandaged A line held, bans lifted Digging deep, pointing out A joy full of strength Since love for me is new every morning, I choose, choose to make a new love for you. |
Spanish to English
To me, love has been a teapot full and hot, a risen bread a room sealed from the wind. A dry cot, a spilling of blood stilled, weapons silently buried in the earth, wounds cleaned and dressed. A line in the sand, a boundary drawn, Looking beyond, pointing, to a perfect joy. To me, love is new every morning, when we choose, we choose, I will renew my love for you, for us. |
Telugu to English
Because love for me is like Full kettle hot, risen bread, Room closed due to wind, Dry bed, stopped bloodshed, Weapons laid down quiet, Wounds cleaned, Line held, And regulations lifted All points to a complete joy. Each morning Love is new to me, Because I reshape the Love for you! |
Turkish to English
A room blocked off the wind For me what love is A hot, full teapot, a bread risen A dry bed, blood flow ceased Weapons laid down quietly Wounds cleaned an bounded A line held, a boundary removed To gaze at the past, point at it Fulfilling and joyful Every morning, when we choose it For me what love is What I can reshape for you |
Appendix 3: Individual recordings of the translations
1. Amharic
2. Arabic
3. Armenian
4. Belarusian
5. Chinese
6. English
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7. French 1
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There are three versions of French translations. Therefore, the audio clips are titled "French 1", "French 2", and "French 3".
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8. French 2
9. French 3
10. German
11. Haitian Creole
12. Hungarian
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13. Italian 1
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There are three versions of Italian translations. Therefore, the audio clips are titled "Italian 1", "Italian 2", and "Italian 3".
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14. Italian 2
15. Italian 3
16. Japanese
17. Portuguese
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18. Russian 1
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There are three versions of Russian translations and two of them have recordings. Therefore, the audio clips are titled "Russian 1" and "Russian 2".
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19. Russian 2
20. Spanish
21. Telugu
22. Turkish
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23. Ukrainian 1
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There are three versions of Ukrainian translations. Therefore, the audio clips are titled "Ukrainian 1" and "Ukrainian 2".
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24. Ukrainian 2
I opened these recordings in Adobe Audition, and here are what they look like. The green portion indicates the changes in volume, while the red portion indicates changes in pitch. Each of the pictures below are captioned with the name of the language.
Appendix 4: Typed translations
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Amharic
የፍቅር ግጥም ለየኔ ቆንጆ ከዚ በፊት ፍቅር ለኔ እንደ ፈላ ውሃ ያንገበግበኛ ነበረ እንደ ተዘጋ ቤት ብርድ እንዳይገባ እከላከለው ነበረ ። አሁን ግን ፍቅር በየጥዋቱ እንደ አዲስ አሳድስዋለሁ ለአንት ብዬ ፍቅር መልክ እንዲነረው አረጎሎህ። |
Catalan
Perqué l’amor ha sigut per a mi, Una bullidora plena i calenta, la sala on creix el pá tarcada al vent Un llit sec, un vessament de sang que finalitza, armes que reposen tranquil·les Ferides netejades i cobertes Una linia sostinguda, un limit enlairat toto mirant al passat, assenyalant la joia més completa Perqué llamor és per a mi cada nou matí, tal i com l’escollim, tria’l, El faré nou l’amor per a tu. |
Chinese
因为爱之于我 是一整箱烤好的热面包 放在紧闭的房间，拒绝风的光顾 也是干燥的行军床，杀戮停歇 武器安静地躺着 伤口也已被清洗包扎好 是一根线悬着极限 望向过去 并指向更完整的欢乐 正因为爱之于我 在不断选择中每日更新 为你 我重塑我的爱 |
French 2
Parce que l'amour a été pour moi Une chaude bouilloire complete, pain levé La chambre fermée du vent Et tout ensoleillé Trêve aux plaintes, assez de sanglots Mais sang arrêté et guns ont calmé Les blessures nettoyées et habillé La ligne a eu lieu, la limite est annulée Et ces heures fortunées Au fond de mon âme ont laissé Parce que l'amour pour moi Le bonheur que j'avais rêvé Et je vais vous recommander. |
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French 3
Parce que l’amour a été pour moi une pleine bouilloire fumante, pain levé chambre à l’abri du vent un lit sec, fini le carnage armes au repos plaies propres et pansées toujours en ligne, limite repoussée regarder au-delà, faire voir joie plus entière Parce que l’amour est pour moi nouveau chaque matin, notre choix toujours et encore je refaçonnerai l’amour pour toi. |
Hungarian
Mert a szerelem számomra olyan mint Egy teljes fazék, forró vekni Egy szél elől elzárt szoba Egy száraz kiságy, megállított vérontás Elcsendesült fegyver Megtisztított seb Egy megtartott vonal, egy megemelt limit Múltba nézés, rámutatás Egy teljesebb élvezet Mert a szerelem szamomra új minden reggel, ahogy választunk, Válassz! És megváltoztatom a szerelmed. |
Italian 1
Perché l'amore è stato per me un caldaio pieno rovente, pano lievitato camera chiusa dal vento una branda asciutto, spargimento di sangue fermato armi ridotto tranquilla ferite puliti e vestiti una linea rimasto saldo, un limite sollevato guardando oltre, sottolineando la gioia più completa Perché l'amore è diverso per me ogni mattina, come vogliamo, scegli darò un’amore diversa per te. |
Italian 3
Perchè l’amore è sempre stato per me una moka piena, una pagnotta lievitata una stanza senza spifferi una culla asciutta, un massacro fermato delle armi a riposo delle ferite pulite e curate una linea costante, un limite alzato guardare oltre, osservare gioia perfetta Perchè l’amore è per me nuovo ogni mattina, come noi lo scegliamo, io scelgo di rimodellare l’amore per te. |
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Japanese
僕にとって、愛と言うのは お湯に満ちた薬缶 膨らんだパン 風の届かない部屋 血餅で止んだ流血 静かに置かれた武器 清潔された癒した怪我 守った戦線超えた限界 見通して指差して 満ちた喜び 僕にとって、愛と言うのは 毎朝新しいもので、選べるもので 君への愛を作り直す |
Korean
사랑이 내게 그러왔기 때문에 따뜻한 주전자, 부풀어오른 빵 바람을 막아주는 방 마른 침대, 흐르지 않는 피 조용히 누워있는 무기 닦고 소독한 상처 꼭 쥔 줄, 늘어난 한계 돌아본 과거, 지적 더 완전한 즐거움 사랑이 내게 그렇기 때문에 아침마다 새롭고, 우리가 고른 것 처럼, 고르고 나는 너를 위해 사랑을 새로 만든다 |
Portuguese
Porque o amor tem sido assim pra mim Uma chaleira quente, pão crescido Quarto fechado por causa do vento Um berço seco, derramamento de sangue parado Armas aquietadas Feridas limpas e vestidas Uma linha mantida, um limite levantado Olhando para o passado, apontando Alegria mais completa Porque o amor é assim pra mim Novo a cada manhã, como nós escolhemos, escolho Vou refazer o amor por você. |
Russian 1
Оттого, что любовь для меня стала с тобой чайником, кипящим на плите, поднявшимся хлебом комнатой, укрытой от ветров сухой койкой, остановленной войной сложенным оружием вымытыми ранами и перевязанными выдержанной линией, запретом снятым вглубь смотря, указываниями радостью, наполненной сильней Оттого, что любовь для меня каждое утро новая, выбираем, выбираем пока слеплю по новой любовь для тебя я. |
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Russian 2
Когда-то любовью я называла Страсти полный котёл, Долгие вечера в закрытой комнате Где мы были только вдвоем. Кровопролитие прекратилось Оружие остепенило ход Народ очистил свои раны Душа покой приобретёт Путь жизни каждому отмерен, - Предел земной указан всем! Но от страданий нет спасенья И в мыслях полное смятенье. Любовь – блаженнейшеее чудо, Она приходит не просясь. Мы выбираем в жизни чувства Обиды мы должны прощать! |
Spanish
Como a mi el amor ha sido, Una tetera llena y caliente, un pan aumentado, Una habitación cerrada por el viento. Un catre seco, un derramamiento de sangre parado, Las armas se ponían en la tierra con silencio, Las heridas se las limpiaban y vestían. Una línea era establecida, un límite era levantado, Mirando más allá, señalando, hay el gozo más completo. Como a mi el amor es, Nuevo cada mañana, cuando escogemos, escogemos, Rehice el amor a ti, y nosotros. |
Ukrainian 1
Оскільки любов була для мене Як палаючий котел, свіжий хліб, Затишна кімната від сильного вітру Моя колиска... Вона зупинила кровотечу І я відмовилась від зброї Мої рани загоїлись. Я підвела межу і вийшла за неї, Озирнулась назад та побачила знак Це така насолода... І зараз кохання стало для мене Новим вибором, який я роблю щоранку І я буду обирати його для Тебе |
Ukrainian 2
Любов була для мене Останньою хвилиною кипіння чайника, першим ароматом здіймаючогося хліба Світлою кімнатою без протягів Сухим ліжком застеленим по-домашньому, кровопролиття припинено, зброя мовчить Рани зачищено і перебинтовано Межу проведену, кордони скасовано Радість пульсує венами Тому що любов для мене Це ранки, з шансами на життя нове Котрі буде перемінено на нашу корить |