From 2010 onwards, I’ve been translating subtitles for the artist Li Xiaofei, for his project “The Assembly Line Series.” This is a series of documentary-style art videos which feature fragmented interviews with various subjects. Below you will find a few samples of this work.
廖雯
Liao Wen
我其实
Actually, what I
很关注的是
am really paying attention to
手机的网络
is the changes to mobile phone Internet networks
和园区的改革
and business and industrial parks,
和女性消费的
and also, female consumers,
慢慢的一个演变
which are slowly evolving
以及整容整形
as well as plastic and reconstructive surgery.
随着这个网络
Following the internet,
而蓬勃发展
its vigorous development,
就是这些
it’s these . . .
你可能看似
it might seem as if,
你现在也
right now
没有办法把他给
there is no way for him to
把线索联系起来
connect the dots.
但是我却发现
But actually, I realized
这些东西在时间线上
these things, if we put them on a timeline,
和他们的发展起伏
in terms of the rise of their development,
是一模一样的
it’s exactly the same.
就打个比方说
For instance,
我们马上要进入
we are on the verge of
5G网络时代了
entering the era of 5G,
我们现在并不是那么的清楚
but we are still not very clear,
什么叫所谓的5G
on what exactly 5G is.
什么叫做物联网
Or the nature of the Internet of Things.
我们没有一个概念
We have no concept of what it is.
但我们知道4G是什么
But we know what 4G is.
4G是快速的浏览图像与视频
4G allows high-speed browsing of images and videos.
那么你还能记得3G是什么吗
Do we even remember what 3G is?
3G就是诺基亚 黑莓的手机
3G was the Nokia and Blackberry phones.
那会儿刚刚
Those phones where you first started
可以发一些图片
being able to send a photo.
就是初代的智能机
These were the first generation of smartphones.
2G的手机就是那个
With the 2G phones,
可以发短信的
you could send text messages.
诺基亚黑白屏
The Nokia with the black and white screen.
1G的手机就是大哥大了
1G phones were those big bricks.
那么其实随着手机网络的变化
In keeping with the development of mobile internet networks,
我们人与人的交往方式是
the methods of person-to-person communication
会去发生改变的
would begin to change,
我们的获取信息的方式
the means of obtaining information,
和交流的方式
and the means of communication.
我们现在没有谁会发短信
Now it’s hard to find a person who can’t send a text.
也没有谁会说
And there is no one who would say,
光是发个图片就能够满足你
that they are satisfied with a phone which can only send photos and nothing more.
我们是图和动态的东西去结合
We have merged images with dynamic movement.
这也是为什么
This is why
Blogger会在
the bloggers
4G网络
on the 4G network
那么的流行
became so popular
而图片它
and digital images, this
仅仅是一个部分
was only a part of it.
这不论在微博还是Instagram
No matter if it’s on Weibo or on Instagram,
还是在微信朋友圈
or on the WeChat moments,
都可以发现
on all of these platforms, we can find,
那么它和女性
in terms of these platforms and female
的消费有什么关系呢
consumers . . . What kind of a connection do we see?
就是在
It’s that
现在我们购物都会说
now when we are shopping, we will say
我们不仅要看
we not only want to look,
不仅看图片哦
we don’t just want to look at images.
就可能在两三年前
Perhaps two or three years ago
或者是再过之前
or even further back,
我们可能看到
we could just look at an image
图片就满足
and be satisfied,
但我们现在一定要看直播
but now we require live video streaming.
一定要看视频
We need video.
这个也就是
This is to say that
现在的网络
the internet today,
与带来我们的消费方式的变化
has influenced changes in terms of our methods of consumption
以及他们所注重的
and what people pay attention to
或者说消费者
or in fact, the consumers,
女性消费者
the female consumers,
她们关注的
what they pay attention to,
东西的变化
these things have changed.
腾肆苍
Teng Sicang
因为我平时
Because usually,
穿衣服
the clothes I wear
就是
are
这个风格
this kind of style.
你在地铁上
When you’re on the subway,
你会看到
you will see
很多人
a lot of people
拿着手机
holding their phones
这样对着你
and facing you this way,
这样
like this,
乱拍你
stealing a photo of you.
有用吗
Is there any use?
你说完
In the end,
这一个
this time,
那下次
then next time,
坐地铁还有
when you’re sitting on the subway,
你说的完吗
if you tell someone off
说不完
You’ll never see the end of it.
你会不开心
You will be unhappy.
你会不开心
You will be unhappy.
对
Right.
你会不开心
You’ll be unhappy.
有时候
Sometimes,
我会看着他
I will look back at them.
我会一直看着他
I will stare at them.
看一会儿
But you stare for a while
但没有用的
and it’s no use.
你知道吗
You know?
就是
It’s
这样说吧
the way it is.
你冲上去
Are you going to rush forward and
把他手边
take his phone
打掉
and smash it?
说你为什么
And say, “Why are you”
要拍我
“taking photos of me?”
他说你
He will say,
神经病啊
“You nutcase!”
我哪有
“I wasn’t”
在拍你
“filming you.”
怎么办
What can you do?
你盯着他看
You stare straight back at them.
对他们
But it
没有任何效果
has no effect on them.
他会一直拍
They will always continue to take photos,
还有的人
There are even people
他会
they will . . .
我一般是
I usually
站在角落里面
stand in the corner.
我知道我这样子
I know the way I dress, the way that I am
挺引人注目的
tends to attract the looks of others.
我懂
I understand.
你站在
I stand
角落里
in the corner.
他就会
They will,
在任何地方
in any place,
不管他在哪
it doesn’t matter where,
他就会在这里
they will
上下打量
look you up and down,
上下打量
look you up and down.
然后用一种
And then they
很嫌弃的
give you some side-eye,
眼神
this look.
真的
It’s true.
嫌弃
They give you the stink-eye,
这样看着你
looking at you like that.
你有什么办法
What can you do?
你没办法
There is nothing you can do.
理他没有用
It is no use.
你能杀了一个
Can you kill them?
你能杀了
Can you kill
所有人吗
all of these people?
不能吧
You can’t.
对不对
Right.
你看呗
Just look.
我也没什么
But actually, there’s nothing
不好看的
ugly about me.
是吧
Right?
大不了
If worse comes to worst,
我再花四万五
I will spend 45,000 RMB,
四万五
45,000 RMB
把我鼻子
to make my nose
再整好看一点
a little bit more attractive.
你看吧，
You see?
随便你看
No matter how you look at it,
我这么好看
no matter how good I look . . .
你看吧
Look at me.
我在街上
I will be on the street,
被一个大妈
and an old auntie
偷拍过
will sneak a photo of me.
你知道吗
You know?
我上班
When I go to work,
我会穿的
I will wear,
比这个
in comparison to this,
稍微正式一点
something a bit more formal,
就是稍微
just a little bit
正常一点
more formal.
然后
And then,
有个大妈
there is this auntie
迎面走来
who walks straight up to me . . .
我就看到她
I saw her
拿着手机
take out her phone,
这样对着我
and point it at me,
就是我
and
走过去嘛
I walked right past.
她就
She just
我没明白
didn’t understand.
其实我也没明白
But actually, I didn’t understand,
她到底
what she
在拍什么
was trying to shoot.
你想象一下
Think about it for a second.
哈
Hah,
你有一个
if there is
不喜欢的东西
something that you don’t like
走了过去
that walks by,
你还要把她
and you still want
拍下来
to photograph it.
你拍下来
You take a photo.
做什么
What are you doing?
你藏到手机里
Hiding it in your phone?
你拿出来
You take it out.
哎呀
Oh god.
这个是我
This is what I
不喜欢的东西
don’t like.
干嘛呀
What the hell are they doing?
嬉皮士
The Hippies
去流浪
who wandered about,
不想被
did not want to be
物质奴役
enslaved by material possessions.
想做纹身
They wanted to have tattoos,
想做穿孔
piercings.
就是在自己
They did these things to their own
的身上做
bodies.
不是给别人做
They weren’t doing it to other people.
我就想给自己做
I just wanted to do it for myself,
去流浪，
to lead a nomadic life.
就这么简单
It was just as simple as that.
我不要被任何
I didn’t want any
的社会条例束缚
social strictures to bind me.
我不想被别人
I didn’t want
的道德束缚
to be fettered by the morals of other people.