Found in Translation
Reading between languages, listening between versions.
Interaction design
Creative coding
Context
Translation and web design project.
Tools
Figma, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, GitHub Pages
Role
Curation, translation, editorial design and web development.
Year
2025
Found in Translation brings Urdu ghazals together with my English translations and musical renditions. I approach translation through the feeling of a line as well as its words, knowing that a direct equivalent cannot always carry both. The website places reading and listening together, allowing visitors to encounter a poem through language, voice and interpretation.
Translating feeling
A line can be understood literally and still feel distant. My translations try to carry its tone and emotional weight into English while acknowledging that something will shift along the way. Keeping the translation alongside the original makes that interpretation visible.
A page for close reading
Each ghazal has its own page, giving the original and translation space to be read in relation to one another. The typographic hierarchy helps visitors move between them without losing their place. The layout supports returning to a line and considering it again.
The poem in another voice
A performance offers another interpretation of the same words. Bringing musical renditions into the collection gives visitors a way to hear how phrasing, pace and emphasis can change their encounter with a poem. My translation becomes one reading among several.
Keeping the interface quiet
The interface gives most of its attention to the poetry. Consistent navigation and restrained color help distinguish the text without competing with it. Reading and listening belong within the same page, so the visitor can move between them without breaking the connection.
Leaving room for another reading
A translation can make a poem more accessible without settling its meaning. I want this collection to offer a way into the original, while leaving room for visitors to hear and understand it differently. The project remains open to further poems, translations and performances.
