Roland Barthes was one of the great intellectuals who revolutionized the way that we think about love. With Barthes, we discover that love is not something people understand in one way only. Love is a conversation with hundreds of possibilities, which vary depending on the person and the object of their love. This goes beyond the commonly known love languages!
A French author, Barthes was one of the starting points for On Love. Held in Paris by the Palais de la Découverte, the exhibition sought answers from science to the mysteries of a feeling that each of us experiences differently. Cultures Connection was proud to walk the halls of the exhibition and offer consecutive interpretation services to the museum.
Love Languages and the Champs Elysées
On Love, at the Palais de la Découverte, was steps away from the Champs Elysées. The exhibition spanned two large galleries, one on accessories and another on science. They explore the forms of love that have evolved in societies as a result of political, economic and technological transformations.
First, the accessories gallery delves into four words the ancient Greeks used to refer to love—eros (passionate love), storge (familial love), pathos (brotherly love or friendship), and agape (selfless love). Through images and prose, the gallery evokes stories and situations to challenge the audience’s views of love. Emotions, sex, intimacy … these all become intertwined until one is forced to ask once more: “What is love, truly?”
The science gallery highlights topics researched by philosophers such as Barthes, as well as sociologists, sexologists, psychoanalysts and neuroscientists. Through interactive games, the audience explores how the body expresses love, how sexuality takes shape, and how online relationships work.
On Love is for an international audience, and was therefore translated into English and Spanish. The Palais de Découverte offered a guided tour with the exhibition’s curator to English language media on January 31st. The museum called on Cultures Connection, which has offices in Paris, to assure that all audiences would understand the curator’s ideas
Interpreting the Language of Love
One can only imagine the difficulty of expressing these types of ideas in a foreign language. The exhibition’s curator explained, in French, which emotions are incited by the sight of a teddy bear, or by a photograph of a father and daughter. Our interpreter had to simplify scientific theories for reporters who didn’t necessarily have an understanding of the subject. What’s more, while the Greeks employed four words to describe love, each with its own meaning, English only has one. To clearly express any idea in another language, one also needs to understand its cultural world view. Translating this topic from French into English was a challenge for our Cultures Connection interpreter!
As with all consecutive interpretation, the speaker would finish and the interpreter would then repeat their ideas as faithfully as possible. Memorization skills, and having a good mutual understanding with the curator, play important roles in this work. Some visits require the interpreter to use portable microphones and headphones to communicate with visiters. In this case, however, the curator expertly guided the reporters through the visit and our interpreter didn’t need such equipment.
However, the requirements for our professional interpreter still remained high. They needed an excellent command of both French and English, experience in consecutive interpretation, and scientific and cultural expertise. Our over 10 years of experience in this industry allowed us to find the right person with ease and deliver the needed interpretation services efficiently and effectively. Just don’t ask us to interpret that eternal enigma of what is love, because that is a question surely beyond our ability to answer.
Translation into English: Sean Mullen
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