Sok-dam
Suah Kim
Untranslatability is the property of text or speech for where no equivalent can be found when translated into another language. Many of these words derive from the specific culture, so the meaning is harder to put into words in another language. Because of that there’s this miscommunication that happens between languages, just like plugging something into Google Translate and still not knowing what it means. Sok-dam is a Korean word for expression of wisdom that has been passed down from ancestors. In English, these phrases are called idioms or proverbs; phrases that have figurative meanings. Every language has its own collection of wise words with underlying ideas, principles, and values that are very unique to that culture. In response to this idea of untranslatability and thinking about how we can communicate between cultures, I designed tools to encourage learning and finding connection between Korean and English culture. I try to communicate the layers of translation from Korean to romanization, to English translation to English idiom in equivalent meaning to show how each culture interprets the same meaning differently. With the illustration and voice to help visualize in the user’s mind almost like reading a short storybook. We live in a world where people from different cultures are constantly communicating. We can’t fully understand other cultures like our own. Sok-dam is a beginning of a bigger question, how can design educate and help the communication between cultures?