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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#177: Found in Translation

“Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.”

– Ken Liu, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories


Communication is the cornerstone of all relationships. A complex combination of sounds, words, gestures, and written symbols help us navigate the world and get our intentions and feelings across. It’s remarkably efficient, but sometimes, regardless of how clearly you thinkyou’re expressing yourself, things get lost between sender and receiver.


Inspired by the act of translating thoughts and feelings into words and actions — and the things that can get lost (or found) in the process — here are this week’s prompts:

This week's prompts

Write a story about two or more characters who don't speak each other's language (literally or metaphorically), but still find a way to communicate.

Dialogue – 54 stories

Set your story in a meeting where a professional interpreter takes some liberties, with major consequences.

Funny – 12 stories

Write about someone who is slowly forgetting their mother tongue or losing their language.

Character – 22 stories

Lost in a foreign city where they don’t speak the language, your character uses a translation app to get around, but constantly runs into problems.

Adventure – 9 stories

Write a story about a character who struggles to translate their thoughts and feelings into words and action.

Angst – 53 stories

Stories

“The Pink Cupcake Dress” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #177

“This is not what I asked for,” Adrian looked at herself in the mirror.  A large lace bow stretched from shoulder to shoulder.  The bow held her cleavage but was barely wide enough to cover her nipples.  The tulle from the dress was hemmed right below her knees.  And the sleeves ran all the way to the tips of her fingers with a hole for her thumb. “I look like a child cupcake,” she pouted.  The color was all wrong too.  It was pink!  Pink!  Not off white, like she requested.  It was salmon pink....

1 comment 1
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“The Interpreter's Secret Talent: A Business Meeting Turned Stand-Up Comedy Show” by Khadijah Jay

Submitted to Contest #177

The boardroom was abuzz with excitement as the international business meeting got underway. At the head of the table sat Mr. Thompson, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, flanked by his team of executives. Across from them sat the representatives from their Chinese partners, including Mr. Chen, the CEO of a successful biotech firm. As the meeting began, the professional interpreter, a middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense demeanor, stood up to begin translating for the Chinese delegates. At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly...

5 comments 5
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“Now I am the Only One” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #177

The Sadness            So my old buddy Frank has died. Now I am the only one. No one but me can speak our language anymore. It was great speaking and listening to him in the words of our people, even if it was only over the phone, as he lived so far away. I know of no other person left who has the language. All those wonderful stories will have no listeners that will understand them like my generation did when we were raised with them as they were told in the lan...

4 comments 4
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“The Artist” by Otter Otter

Submitted to Contest #177

I take my glasses off to wipe them, unable to read the words before me. After placing them back onto my face, I realize that it changed nothing. What did these words say? My mind doesn't keep up, yet my hand continues to move. Were these words my thoughts? Is my brain trying to protect me? I would've thought that at least focusing on a word would allow me to understand, but it doesn't. I take a moment to stop. Outside of my window, a flurry of white. It looks like a blizzard. I check the calendar, yet don't know what month it is. It should...

2 comments 2
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“THAT WORD, JUST THAT” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #177

THAT WORD , JUST THAT When she had left her country, so much disgusted and embittered, many years ago, swearing that she would never set foot there again, the thought that she could forget her MOTHER TONGUE had not even for an instant crossed her mind. She had worried about getting by in the country where she was going, and also learning that language. A Hungarian writer she loved said that the only HOMELAND was the language, meaning above all the mother tongue. She felt so homeless ( stateless) that she could not even dwell on such a...

7 comments 7
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“Finding your Soul” by Michael Chandler

Submitted to Contest #177

Finding your soul Above New York City, a lone mourning dove glides past colossal skyscrapers. Flying over and through unfinished buildings, in passage towards Central Park. The elegant bird landed gracefully on the umber branch, causing amber foliage to fall. The beautiful avifauna walked to the edge of the branch, and shed a single tear that sparkled as it fell towards the ground. *SPLAT* Leonard sat up, startled awake by what he assumed was a raindrop. What he awoke to was far more startling. He was on a bench in a park he had no rec...

3 comments 3
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“Taps” by L-a Troda

Submitted to Contest #177

Dad didn’t even look up when I entered the room. Selfishly, I preferred it like that. When he first contracted the virus, he would gaze up from his bed with pleading eyes as he prattled on incoherently. “Di-di | di-dah-di-di dah-dah-dah di-di-di-dah di | dah-di-dah-dah dah-dah-dah di-di-dah.”Every day. Every, single day in the beginning stages of his decline, that’s all I heard from him. There was still light behind his eyes back then. They begged me to listen to what he was saying, even though it was without meaning. I’d resp...

0 comments 0
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“Mother Tongue Eroded for A Journey ” by Charles Okechukwu

Submitted to Contest #177

Mike just came out of the arrival lounge of Port Harcourt International Airport. “Hey! Mike. You look good. Where have you been?” Jane quizzed as she descended the airport terminal steps.  “I just arrived from UK. Eh! Jane, we are seeing again after so many years.” Mike hugged her warmly. “You haven’t changed Mike.” Jane said, examining his muscular frame while touching him. Mike smiled. “Ke kwanu ka ulo di?” “(How is your home?)”Jane asked him. Mike smiling said, “Everyone is doing well.” Jane rejoined Mike after collecting her bag at ...

2 comments 2
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“Haight Ashbury and the Red Picasso ” by Caleb Weingarten

Submitted to Contest #177

If you have been to the Haight Ashbury District, you may remember seeing the neon shadowed Amoeba Music sign, coupled with a slightly larger sign towering next to it that read Bowling. I saw that brightly illuminated sign off the side of the road, and I couldn't help noticing the homeless who were also lit by its broad reach. Across the street from the record shop was a small gift shop owned by one of the counterculture rebels, now old but still flying the wave of psychedelic discovery and promise. I noticed that Marvin - the shop owner, did...

0 comments 0
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“The Snow Globe Is Ugly And I Want A Divorce” by A H Nazzareno

Submitted to Contest #177

“I need … grit,” the frustrated young woman with scarlet hair slurred, a pencil clasped firmly between four pearly incisors. Tara Carter glanced up, away from the grotesque Christmas gift her husband had mailed her, and toward the rattling window. She could only think of one thing as her hand ran over a blank sheet of paper: I really need to write that letter. The unconfident procrastinator pouted, contemplating the alleged helpfulness of gritty affirmations. Her therapist had recommended the "I need grit" one last month and she relucta...

2 comments 2
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“Stomp, Stomp, Clap” by Douglas W. Carr

Submitted to Contest #177

It’s estimated that ‘humans’ didn’t gain the ability to speak or form any type of language until about seventy thousand years ago, and it’s also estimated that ‘humans’ have existed for more than two million years and the ‘human’ ancestor dates back another five million years. It’s enough to attempt to comprehend what that all means let alone comprehend how ‘humans’ must’ve communicated, during anytime leading up to seventy thousand years ago. Some theories indicate that the migration of ‘humans’ across the continents occurred over tens of...

4 comments 4
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“Mako, Book 1-Light in The Dark Tunnel” by Jenny Falcon

Submitted to Contest #177

Mako,book 1    Light, in the  dark tunnel. Chapter 1: A Bully.   “Alright Brian, time to go to school.” Said Brian’s dad.  “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” Yelled Brian, after coming back from a fun weekend. “Don't worry, the school year is almost over.” replied his father. “Whatever.” Muttered Brian. He got up from his chair and put his leftover cereal in the sink. He then proceeded to get his backpack, pet his cat Clover, and go to school. It was a pretty normal day at school, until they were about to leave for recess. “C...

1 comment 1
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“Value, Personality and Words” by Ayten Nihal Cengiz

Submitted to Contest #177

“You are the funniest person I have ever met!” When I first heard this from the person working at my next desk, it made me very happy. It was my first month of working in this office. I was happy because it was the first time someone had told me I was funny and amusing. It was also very nice to feel accepted by brand new people in a brand new country. I don't remember what we talked about, I wasn't making a joke or there was nothing funny about it, either. I think I was talking about the difficulties of living in a new country or somet...

7 comments 7
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“Right time” by Okanda Perera

Submitted to Contest #177

"You need this before midnight ?""Yes Brian, midnight is the deadline for submissions, you know. You can do it before then, right?""Yeah, I'll do my best Luke.""Oh, okay, thank you."Ohhhh, this isn't gonna be easy. I haven't even finished my essay and now this. I should have told him that I won't be able to do both on time. As a friend, he might understand me. But what if he thinks that I'm selfish. Uhhhh, anyway, I told him "yes". Better start writing his essay first. Brian told, as usual, just to himself.After coming home, h...

2 comments 2
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“Cycles in Cantonese” by Christopher Ford

Submitted to Contest #177

Long ago, America was duped into a controversial law enforcement program in which certain people in positions of power were allowed to keep tabs on children, sometimes as young as infants, and intentionally lead them down a path of crime so that they can be fast-tracked into a system where they are under the control of an invisible arm of the government for their entire lives without any trial or reasonable chance for appeal.  The unconstitutional “Minotaur Program” is polarizing to say the least.  As torrential needles spill t...

1 comment 1
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$250

Prize money

150

Contest entries

70

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 23, 2022 EST

Won by Laurel Hanson 🏆

Title: Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen Without a Hearing Aid

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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