During the Syrian Refugee crisis, there was a desperate need for volunteer translators in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. As a native Arabic speaker, Yasmeen applied for the position and began two years of translating refugee stories for government forms, clinics, schools, and simple everyday errands. During visits to their homes, she got to know the refugees more intimately and in some of their conversations they confided aspects of their lives to her that they felt couldn’t, or shouldn’t, be divulged to their social workers or others in positions of power. Some of those sentiments were endearing and heartening while others were filled with sadness and despair. As an artist, Yasmeen’s work explores the notion of empathy—how art is a vehicle that enables a connection with people who have suffered in solitary silence. Her talk speaks to these experiences, and addresses the artwork she created in response to the idea of the translator—a role that positions the “other” as a kind of living prosthetic who enables the refugee voice and who also takes the role of empathetic listener.