Living Dictionary

Living Dictionary explores the diverse languages found in California, focusing on 'untranslatable' words from varied cultures and the insights embodied in each one. Each episode in the series features different community members, ranging from poets to chefs to musicians, who share a word from their language that inspires them and provides a window into their ethos. A single word contains multitudes, revealing nuance and complexity while offering wisdom and perspective that lend to the human experience.

This series honors the values of assorted cultures within a nation where over 350 languages are spoken or signed. Living Dictionary traverses the California landscape, creating a visual vocabulary of Indigenous, minor, and widely spoken languages. From the grace of the Hawaiian language to the rhythms of Amharic and the lyricism of Vietnamese, the series celebrates language, meaning, and the communities that breathe life into words.