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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Arani Halder Is Honored with the A' Design Award for Untranslate Application in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design

Arani Halder honored for graphics, illustration and visual communication design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category for Untranslate Application by Arani Halder. The recognition forms part of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The A' Design Award Explained

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

About Untranslate Application

Untranslate is a language learning application that teaches the nuances of a language through context-based learning. Untranslate offers a single word or phrase from a curated list, then explains the selected term through four contexts: historical, cultural, social and colloquial. Each word is supported by etymology, related books, movies and songs, news articles and clips, and guidance on conversational use. The application can be used on mobile devices, tablets and laptops, and the screens follow accessibility standards.

About Arani Halder

Arani Halder is a visual designer and illustrator based in New York City. She explores the connections between language, culture and pluralism with her work. Her practice aims to open windows into the lives of different people and the broader social movements that help shape them. She is currently a Designer at Penske Media Corporation, working on brands like WWD, Beauty Inc., Footwear News and Sourcing Journal. She has also created lasting work with brands such as United Nations, Whitney Museum of Art and Publicis Groupe.

Award Record

With this recognition, Arani Halder is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award

The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Entries typically include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. Awarded graphic designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/graphics

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Untranslate Application
Function
Application
Category
Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Discipline
Communication Design
Industry
Branding & Advertising and Arts
Colors
Tomato, Salmon, Linen, Black and Dark Salmon
Images
5

The Recognition

Laureate
Arani Halder
Country
United States of America
Recognition
A' Design Award
Edition
2022 - 2023
Design ID
#146106

Credits

Image Credits
Image and content research credits: Esra Gumrukculer Carolyn Olaguivel Namra Khalid Paloma Corrigan Anamika Ananth Aruja Kothari Deveshi Jhunjhunwala Jiahui Yu Sinong Li Sichao Liu Anjana Halder Iris Favand Deepak Warrier

Design Details

Unique Properties
Untranslate explores the barrier between languages through the subjective experiences of people. It is an application that teaches you the nuances of a language through context-based learning. Deviating from the traditional academic sources, it introduces you specific cultural references and content that can only be learnt by living in the corresponding place or through conversations with native speakers.
Inspiration
Language is not just a tool, but a reflection of its surrounding culture, people, media, and socio-politics. Therefore, the true essence of a language can never truly be translated into another. Certain words, phrases, and expressions can only be fully understood by interacting with the culture and the people it has emerged and grown from. The large number of people who grow up outside their state or country often lose the privilege of being immersed in their native languages and cultures.
Research
The research behind Untranslate involved first-hand interviews with multiple native speakers of multiple languages. The purpose of the interviews was to obtain experiential information about their perception of language, their social and political associations with it, in addition to any anecdotes they may have related to their linguistic background. Images and quotes were also requested from the interviewees so as to make the content of the application more relatable and welcoming.
Challenge
The primary challenge in this project stemmed from the notion that language by itself can be an ineffective tool in seamlessly communicating across borders and backgrounds. During building the content and flow of the app, it was very important to get information from credible, first hand sources and be mindful of any social and culturally relevant information. There were several rounds of fact checking, so as to produce the most accurate and unbiased content.
Realization and Technology
After rigorous user testing, and evaluating existing language applications, these were some challenges. Limited Functionality, content covered was very limited. Lack of Context, information may not be contextually acceptable. Impersonal, people do not connect with language. Moving forward, here are the insights gained from the pain points. Experience, the content should be put into real life context. Context, more experiential approach to language learning. Awareness, exposure to varied kinds of media.
Operation and Interaction
Untranslate provides the user with a single word or phrase from a curated list of contextually rich words. Upon selecting a word it presents you with 4 different contexts, historical, cultural, social and colloquial. As a part of the four contexts, Untranslate presents the user with the etymology of the word; a list of curated culturally relevant content such as book, movies and songs; access to news articles and clips; and knowledge on how to use the word in a conversational setting.
Project Duration and Location
This project started in New York City in August 2019 and finished in May 2021. Since then, it has won a Graphic Design USA Award, a Best Award (hosted by DINZ), an ADGA Award and a Communication Arts Interaction Design Award.
Specifications
Untranslate is meant to be an application that can be accessed on mobile devices as well as tablets and laptops. The screens and graphics are not only adaptable but are in line with the accessibility standards for all kinds of people.
Keywords
Application, Language, Education, Culture, Linguistics, Social, Context, Historical, Community

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