6/1/2019, An Act of Deconstruction Session 3

First off, Happy 2020 to all.

My 2020 was spent eating way too much and exercising too little.

So, you might have noticed a change in my working title....

An Act of Deconstruction

Construct, Deconstruct, Rebuild

The direction of my process has taken a slight detour. 'Re-Translation' didn't capture what exactly I wanted to explore, which is the concept of deconstruction. After pondering about it for some time, I changed my working title. As a result, I have gained a greater clarity for the direction of my project which is pretty awesome. At the same time, it captures the essence of what I hope to explore through this project.

Just to clarify: the core theme for this project still revolves around translation. This particular project will be exploring one of the key aspects within the process of translation.

So, let's begin!

For this session, I dived deeper into the concept of Deconstruction through the series of links I had posted on my previous session post. Deconstruction is a method of critical analysis where it involves taking apart the structure to examine and learn. (this is my current understanding of Deconstruction. It might change as I continue investigating)

Imagine a rock. That rock has a structure that allows you to think that it is a rock. If you smash the rock hard enough, it will most likely break into smaller, irregular sized bits of rocks or granules. From there, you can rebuild these tinier rocks into other structures. It does not necessarily have to turn back into a rock, although it could depending on the purpose.

Deconstruction is usually seen as a negative process because it involves breaking down, tearing, taking it apart from its structure and order. However, what if deconstruction is necessary? An Act of Deconstruction can be a crucial process in examining the finer details, elements and in turn, can help you to create better?

I searched on Youtube 'deconstructing a text' and chanced upon this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBAAmona9E&t=18s

In this lecture, Jennifer Hedgecock talks about the use of words and language, and why sentences exist. From a literary POV, words by itself has emotions, meaning depending on your experience attached to each specific word. As you put words together, you are constructing rules. Therefore, structure exists. Therefore, meaning exists.

It is an infinite cycle of trying to understand and deconstruct what a word can mean. For example:

Peace - free from disturbance; tranquility.

Disturbance - the interruption of a settled and peaceful condition.

Settled - resolve or reach an agreement about (an argument or problem)

Agreement - harmony or accordance in opinion or feeling.

(you get my point)

We construct words together to create meaning, to build up structure to allow people to understand better. However, the process of deconstruction is as important as construction. I might argue, more important. The final sentence that Jennifer had parted the video with left me thinking very deeply: she views the word 'Deconstruction' as 'DeMystification', so that it becomes familiar and not remain a mystery. This is one of the key points of Translation, and the Mekar Programme. Ding ding, points for key discovery!

I clicked on another video titled 'Why translating literature is sometimes impossible':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCvQw3gKJOU

From this video, I had taken with me 2 quotes:

"Languages are different for a reason. You can't make ideas between them without losing something" - A Fictional Character, Vikram the Vampire.

"Languages differ essentially in what they must convey and not in what they may convey" - Roman Jakobson.

To be completely honest, I am still trying to figure out what the 2nd quote means. BUT! The 1st quote struck me in a way that opened up my perspectives around translation. I don't exactly know what yet, but hopefully it might show up deeper into the process.

I have this notion or imagery that translation is like a bridge. It has the capacity to link 2 places together, and creates this connectivity and understanding. Translation has the ability to provide an option to people on whether they want to use the bridge or not.

I learnt another imagery today through this video: Translation as Measurement. Eg: Ruler

The point of difference when translating one language to another can make an impact on the reader's ability to understand. However, what if a particular word is untranslatable? Then, my next imagery would be:

Translation as a problem-solving solution.

Each person has a different way of problem-solving, based upon their life experiences. In the case of 'Kotaku' (My City), I am experiencing the translated version. I almost feel like an outsider trying to look through a peephole, into the lives of the Malay Community. It then reminded me of my own ancestry and the struggles of rapid development in this 21st Century. Amongst the words and sentences that is draining my brain juices, a phrase stood out to me:

act of slowness

By slowing down, you gain appreciation for the things around you. By slowing down, you start to notice little details that you didn't notice before. Translation is a slow, grueling and sometimes painful process. In an attempt to increase accessibility and connect with people from different walks of life.

In my next session, I will be exploring these various acts of ________ physically. I will be filming bits and pieces of it, so stay tuned!