On Sofa #4: Translation in Motion with Phạm Bảo Ngọc

02:30 PM – 05:30 PM, Sat 13 June 2026
HAS Library
T2.4, 2nd floor Complex 01
Alley 167 Tây Sơn, Hà Nội
Registration link (Limited to 6 participants)

From the organizer:

Translation is not simply the “manual” task of moving language from one place to another. At its core, it transforms a sensory territory, generates a structure of reality, and gives rise to its own aesthetics. Translation is shaped by intertwined historical, cultural, and social conditions that can never be fully separated from one another.

This gathering proposes an approach to translation rooted in sensing language, intentionally maintaining the distance between source and target texts, foreign language and mother tongue. The organiser wishes to prolong the time between reading and understanding, creating space for perception to encounter the world constructed by the target language before choosing words and grammar to articulate it. Through this process, the workshop seeks to open up more personal and alternative “entry points” into a text. The aim is to “produce” diverse translations that deepen our understanding of both the original and translated texts.

This experiment focuses on literature. For this session, participants will work with the short story The Kangaroo Communiqué by Haruki Murakami.

Programme structure:
– Warm-up
– Collective reading session
– Selecting a passage to translate
– Individual work combined with several acting techniques to create a first draft.
This workshop is intended for those studying or practising Japanese translation, or simply anyone who knows and loves the language.

About the facilitator

Phạm Bảo Ngọc (b. 1996) graduated from the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University Hanoi, majoring in Japanese Studies. Alongside language, she became involved in improvisational theatre and performance practice with independent groups such as Râm Ran, ACA Lab, and ATH Art Workshop. Her performances include Clytemnestra in the Oresteia trilogy, Ismene in Antigone – Âm Mù produced by XPlusX Studio, and The Educator in Aporia produced by ATH theatre. She has also contributed translations for publications by Tri Thức Trẻ Books and IPM.

Her interests revolve around language and the ways it intervenes in and shapes relationships between individuals, society, and the world around them.

Note:

– This is a non-profit event. We encourage participants to support the artist with a small contribution from 100,000 VND (payable at the door) as a gesture of appreciation. All proceeds will be given directly to the artist after the event.
– Doors will close at the scheduled start time (including for those who have registered). Please arrive on time to choose your seat.
– The event will be documented through photography and audio recording for archival, research, and communication purposes by the artist and Heritage Art Space. By attending, you consent to the use of this material.

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