Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo by Arani Halder

Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo by Arani Halder is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award Rino in Hoahoa Whakairoiro, Whakaahua Ringa me te Whakawhitiwhiti Ataata Competition Category.

RinoWhakairoiro· 2023

Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo

by Arani Halder

Client: Arani Halder

A' Design Award Rino Winner in Whakairoiro Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #146106

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo

Ko Untranslate he taupānga ako reo e whakaako ana i ngā āhuatanga taipitopito o te reo mā roto i te ako ā-horopaki. Ka whakaratohia e Untranslate tētahi kupu, tētahi kīanga rānei nō roto i tētahi rārangi kua tīpakotia, ka whakamāramahia ai te kupu kua kōwhiritia mā roto i ngā horopaki e whā: te horopaki hītori, te horopaki ahurea, te horopaki pāpori me te horopaki reo ā-kōrero noa. Ka tautokona ia kupu e ōna pūtake kupu, ngā pukapuka, kiriata me ngā waiata e hono ana, ngā tuhinga pāpāho me ngā kiripuaki pūrongo, me ngā tohutohu mō te whakamahi i roto i te kōrerorero. Ka taea te whakamahi i te taupānga ki runga i ngā pūrere pūkoro, ngā papa pāpāho me ngā rorohiko pūkoro, ā, e whai ana ngā mata whakaatu i ngā paerewa urunga wātea.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Rino

Ko Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo te toa o te A' Design Award Rino, he whakaaetanga whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa pai e whakatutuki ana i ngā hiahia ngaio me te ahumahi e tūmanakohia ana mai i ngā mahi kua hoahoatia pai. Ko ngā toa Rino e whakaatu ana i te pukenga nui, te tohungatanga teitei, te māramatanga mātanga me te kaha auaha o ō rātou kaihanga. E tūmanakohia ana ko Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo he mahi whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he whaihua, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Rino e whakakotahi ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa o te ahumahi, ā, he āhuatanga hangarau pūkenga tōna e hono ana ki te mōhio me te pūmanawa. E whakahonoretia ana a Untranslate Kaupapa Ako Reo mō tōna tōtika, ā, i hoahoatia hei whakapai ake i te kounga o te oranga me te āwhina i te ao kia pai ake.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Untranslate explores the barrier between languages through the subjective experiences of people. It is an application that teaches you the nuances of a language through context-based learning. Deviating from the traditional academic sources, it introduces you specific cultural references and content that can only be learnt by living in the corresponding place or through conversations with native speakers.
Dimensions & Packaging: Untranslate is meant to be an application that can be accessed on mobile devices as well as tablets and laptops. The screens and graphics are not only adaptable but are in line with the accessibility standards for all kinds of people.
Tags: Application, Language, Education, Culture, Linguistics, Social, Context, Historical, Community
Production Technology: After rigorous user testing, and evaluating existing language applications, these were some challenges.

Limited Functionality, content covered was very limited.
Lack of Context, information may not be contextually acceptable.
Impersonal, people do not connect with language.

Moving forward, here are the insights gained from the pain points.

Experience, the content should be put into real life context.
Context, more experiential approach to language learning.
Awareness, exposure to varied kinds of media.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge in this project stemmed from the notion that language by itself can be an ineffective tool in seamlessly communicating across borders and backgrounds. During building the content and flow of the app, it was very important to get information from credible, first hand sources and be mindful of any social and culturally relevant information. There were several rounds of fact checking, so as to produce the most accurate and unbiased content.
Research: The research behind Untranslate involved first-hand interviews with multiple native speakers of multiple languages. The purpose of the interviews was to obtain experiential information about their perception of language, their social and political associations with it, in addition to any anecdotes they may have related to their linguistic background. Images and quotes were also requested from the interviewees so as to make the content of the application more relatable and welcoming.
Inspiration: 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.
Project Duration: This project started in New York City in August 2019 and finished in May 2021. Since then, it has won a Graphic Design USA Award, a Best Award (hosted by DINZ), an ADGA Award and a Communication Arts Interaction Design Award.
Operation Flow: Untranslate provides the user with a single word or phrase from a curated list of contextually rich words. Upon selecting a word it presents you with 4 different contexts, historical, cultural, social and colloquial.

As a part of the four contexts, Untranslate presents the user with the etymology of the word; a list of curated culturally relevant content such as book, movies and songs; access to news articles and clips; and knowledge on how to use the word in a conversational setting.
Image Credits: Image and content research credits:
Esra Gumrukculer
Carolyn Olaguivel
Namra Khalid
Paloma Corrigan
Anamika Ananth
Aruja Kothari
Deveshi Jhunjhunwala
Jiahui Yu
Sinong Li
Sichao Liu
Anjana Halder
Iris Favand
Deepak Warrier