'I can transform like Optimus Prime.'

So we've been on this Translations thing for two months. To be honest everyone seems to be saying it's so broad and I suppose it is but under the circumstances of what we started talking about it was a bit more reasonable. I mean we talked about facebook and technology and communication and how technology changes not only how we communicate but how we are able to understand each other, if in fact we still can. We're not translating any more from language to language but rather from interpretation to interpretation or tone to tone or emoticon to emoticon. I think we've all kind of taken steps out of this discussion in various ways but maybe breadth isn't a bad thing. We won't really be able to tell until it's all put together.

Personally, I think I've struggled a bit with translation versus transformation. So I looked them up.

translate (trans lāt')

v.t.

1. to turn (something expressed, esp. written) from one language into another.

2. to change the form, condition, or nature of.

3. to explain in simpler terms

trans·form

–verb (used with object)

1. to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose

to change in condition, nature, or character; convert.

I feel like translation is the audial or the literal version of transformation or that transformation is the visual representation of translation. At the same time, when I think of transformation I think turning one thing into another where as when I think translation I think of pushing the understanding of something or maintaining the essence while presenting it in a different way. So then with the piece I have now am I transforming objects or am I translating ideas into a visual vocabulary? Or is it all just semantics?