Untranslate
Arani Halder
Language is not just a tool, but a reflection of its surrounding culture, people, media, and socio-politics. Therefore, the true essence of a language can never truly be translated into another. Certain words, phrases, and expressions can only be fully understood by interacting with the culture and the people it has emerged and grown from. The large number of people who grow up outside their state or country often lose the privilege of being immersed in their native languages and cultures.
Untranslate explores the barrier between languages through the subjective experiences of people. The book delves into the idea of home through accounts of people from around the world. Each chapter features a different language as narrated by a native speaker. Deviating from traditional academic resources, the app redefines the language learning process through culturally-specific content like movies, songs, books, news articles, and colloquial usage. Untranslate creates a platform where one can grapple with intricate cultures through language and vice-versa. One not only learns a piece of language but is able to engage and contextualize it within its nuanced surroundings. Untranslate celebrates the unique identities of communities and roots itself in the idea that pluralism — both linguistically and culturally — creates a sense of harmony.