Tr ansl ation less

Maris Souza

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Tr ansl ation less explores the conflicts of language and memory within my personal life. I wake up and I see myself in my grandmother. I forget things that I shouldn’t. The way she struggles with a different language is the way I struggle with my thoughts. My grandmother navigates in a place that doesn’t understand her language. She can’t share the few memories she still has. I navigate in a place that makes me feel unwelcome and alone. Tr ansl ation less documents the feelings shared in my family–– the fear of not understanding or being understood, the fear of forgetting what we knew when we were young.


Photo of a woman leaning on a fence with black text overlaid on the photo.


A cliffside and black writing overlaid on the cliffs.
Image of a fingerprint with the word "Saudade"
The silhouette of a woman and next to her the word "Saudade"
A woman barely smiles, looking into the distance. The word "Saudade" is on the wall behind her both upright and upside down.
An older woman walking along a driveway with a cane. There is black text overlaid on the image.
The word "Saudade" in white and grey against black background

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