Digital Lab Assignment #4

A translation of Book from the Ground by Xu Bing: Chapter Two

For the most part, I thought translating this chapter was easy. However, there were specific sequences of emojis that I struggled with interpreting or translating. However, rather than letting myself get frustrated, I chose to make something up that seemed to fit the emojis. I think it’s important to maintain an open mindset when attempting to translate this type of text.

It was interesting to compare my translation with my partner’s. I tried to make my translation read more like a story, whereas my partner seemed to simply state the facts of what was happening. His version of the chapter was much more simplified than mine. Although the main points of our translations were the same, I found that we interpreted some of the sequences of emojis slightly differently. For example, we both stated that the character–we both called him “Jake”– gave up his seat to a pregnant woman while he was on the train. However, when it came to the overweight man entering the elevator, Alex thought that he caused the elevator to reach his weight limit and therefore Jake was forced to get out of the elevator. I interpreted it as that Jake thought the elevator would move more slowly because of the overweight man and so he chose to get out of the elevator so he could make it to his office more quickly. I included more descriptions in my translation than Alex did; I described how Jake was feeling and thinking in greater detail than Alex did. I think that’s what makes this book so interesting is that it can be interpreted in so many different ways!

First of all, I think it’s important to emphasize the fact that “Literature by the Numbers” can be interpreted in many different ways. This particular lab is a wonderful example of how “literature by the numbers” can hugely impact both how a text is written and how it is interpreted. Personally, I had a really hard time understanding or conceptualizing an interpretation or translation of these passages of emojis, but I thought it was interesting to attempt the interpretation. The process of interpretation opened my eyes even more to the world of digital humanities and the concept of “Literature by the Numbers.” At the very least, I think it’s very interesting to explore how literature and numbers can and do interact within the world of digital humanities. Book from the Ground is one of many unique ways in which literature and numbers can interact.