Simultaneous Translation

Simultaneous Translation examines the gap between what people want to say and what they ultimately do say.

The project began with an observation: much of social life depends upon small linguistic adjustments. Some people are better at this than others. A select few seem almost fluent in the practice of translation. As a result, direct statements become suggestions. Certainty becomes humility. Disagreement becomes curiosity. Refusal becomes delay.

Through a series of text-based works, the project treats these translations as visible structures, making it possible to examine the distance between intention and expression.

In the printed works, each translation is presented as a pair of statements: what is thought and what is said.

In installation form, the works become interactive objects whose lengths vary according to the distance being traversed. As viewers move a sliding panel from one statement to the other, they physically enact the translation. Distance becomes both subject and material.

Installation views (rendered in AI)