Topoésie
Translation for a Cultural and Community-Based Art Project
Overview
Translation of descriptive and narrative content for Topoésie, an art project exploring informal place names used within communities but not recorded in official toponymy.
The project documents locally meaningful places through text, photography and audio, creating a digital archive that reflects how communities name, experience and inhabit their environment.
The translation focused on descriptions of these places, as well as accompanying captions for visual and audio content.
The challenge
This project involved translating richly layered content combining poetic language, historical information and community voice.
The texts (approximately 150–250 words each) required:
- preserving a poetic and reflective tone
- conveying historical and contextual information clearly
- integrating quotes from local interviews seamlessly into the narrative
Many place names were bilingual. In cases where names existed only in French, they were retained, with a literal rendering incorporated into the description to reflect their meaning and origin.
The project also involved:
- translating captions accompanying photographs and audio excerpts
- working with colloquial Gaspésian vocabulary, requiring targeted research
- translating specialized content, including references to speleology in descriptions of cave formations
The main challenge was to balance:
- fidelity to the original voice
- clarity for the reader
- and respect for the cultural and linguistic specificity of each place
My approach
I approached this project with a focus on tone, rhythm and cultural sensitivity.
- Preserving poetic language
I aimed to retain the evocative and reflective quality of the original, allowing the text to flow naturally in English while maintaining its imagery and tone.
Les limites, les divisions disparaissent et s’ouvrent tant de possibles.
→ Boundaries and divisions disappear; possibilities open up. - Integrating community voices
Quotes from interviews were incorporated carefully into the text, preserving their original wording while restructuring surrounding sentences for fluidity. - Handling place names with care
French place names were preserved where appropriate, with their meaning conveyed through the surrounding text to maintain their cultural significance. - Conducting targeted research
Research was carried out to accurately reflect regional vocabulary and specialized terminology, including references related to cave structures. - Maintaining balance between clarity and nuance
Each text was shaped to remain accessible while preserving the depth and specificity of the original content.
The result
The final English version delivers a cohesive and engaging body of texts that reflects both the poetic intent of the project and the specificity of each community.
The translation supports the project’s aim of documenting and sharing informal place names, while making the content accessible to a broader audience.
It also preserves the relationship between language, place and community at the heart of the work.
Key takeaway
This project highlights the importance of combining stylistic sensitivity, research and cultural awareness when translating narrative and culturally grounded content.