TRANSLATING RESEARCH ARTICLE INTO SHORT STORY 1

Translating an Expert Scientific Research Paper into a Thrilling Short Story

Julia Miyamoto

Department of Writing, UC Santa Barbara

WRIT 2: Academic Writing

Valentina Fahler

June 5, 2022
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Reflection Essay

Your brain alone may not be the only thing controlling your bodily functions. Believe it

or not, this isn’t science fiction, it is the information that the research article “Bacterial sensing

via neuronal Nod2 regulates appetite and body temperature” presents to its audience. An

audience made up of scientists conducting research on similar topics and are experts in their

field. Reading this article made me wonder what made this a genre intended for other researchers

and what could transform it into a genre targeted to a broader audience. Thus, I set out to

translate this academic research article into a short story genre. With the translation, I intended to

broadcast this significant information to students with basic biology knowledge to introduce

them to the conversations occurring in the biology field. Throughout the translation process, I

focused on the plot, clarity, organization, and visual aspects of the story in order to present the

scientific information to the target audience. In turn, I learned how the niches of a piece are

dependent on the rhetorical situation and the dynamics of genres.

Before translating the research article, I had to determine the elements of the rhetorical

situation for the new genre. The research article described a significant contribution to our

understanding of the role of bacteria in our bodies. Thus, I wanted to find a way to broadcast this

information beyond the scientists who were contributing to this research. As a kid, I remember

watching cartoons that used animation and fictional characters to present scientific information

to children. This made topics like the digestive system and ecosystems easy to understand

because the show followed the genre conventions of children’s cartoons. I decided to emulate

this experience using a short story genre. A short story would allow me to use storytelling to

communicate the findings of the research to students in middle school with basic biology
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knowledge. Since I wanted to present the article’s research to a larger audience, I chose the

specific audience stated so that the reader could appreciate and engage with the scientific facts.

With the rhetorical situation for the new genre in mind, I focused on the genre

conventions to determine the structure and plot. In the definition of a genre, Bickmore

emphasizes that the conventions of the genre remain relatively stable, stating that “Each time a

writer takes up a genre, the writer reaffirms, in a way, the stable features of the genre. But the

writer also—perhaps in minuscule ways—might adapt and reshape the genre” (Bickmore,

2016a). Thus, by identifying which elements of the short story were necessary, I would find

areas that could be manipulated to include informational aspects. I read multiple examples of

short stories to identify the essential characteristics. I found that the stable features of a short

story include avoiding explanations on unnecessary background, using creative details, and

maintaining a playful tone with informal language. The diversity of plots I encountered indicated

the storyline I chose could include the scientific information from the article. To relay the

scientific information, I decided on a storyline where I could use the main characters to explain

the contents of the article. The plot follows a grandfather blood cell telling his grandchildren a

story about the time he discovered how the bacteria in an organism “communicates” with the

brain. To adhere to the stable features of the genre, I followed one story-telling event and

avoided descriptive background information. To include creative details, I defined biological

aspects as things students could see in daily life. For example, I explained the brain as being a

big, gray building and the muropeptide as being a letter in an envelope. To maintain a playful

tone, I added interruptions from the grandchildren and jokes that the group shares together.

Through use of personification of the bacteria and blood cells, I was able to incorporate informal
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language. I used the personified characters to create conversations where the elements of the

research paper are described using language students in middle school would find familiar.

With the intended use of genre conventions in mind, I focused on sentence clarity in

order to keep the reader engaged with the piece. I noticed in the research article, the information

was reported in long, dense sentences, filled with scientific jargon. Keeping the intended

audience as the focus, I knew if I used dense, long sentences to communicate the scientific

information, it may be more difficult for the reader to follow along with the story. Williams &

Nadel support the idea of clarity of sentences and its ability to engage an audience. Focusing on

the actions in a sentence, they mention that “when you match characters to subjects and actions

to verbs in most of your sentences, readers are likely to think your prose is clear, direct, and

readable” (Williams & Nadel, 1989, p. 13). Thus, the sentence structure of subject and verb were

critical to the clarity of the text. To clarify my message, I was conscious of placing the character

name before the verb of each sentence. This structure allows the reader to easily decipher the

content of the sentence. For the translation, I would locate the main idea of each section of the

article. Then, keeping in mind the intended genre conventions, I would decide where in the

storyline I could present this information, and by which character. Following these steps helped

me to identify the elements needed to create the concise sentence structure.

Alongside the concision and clarity of my sentences, I chose to keep the paragraphs of

the story brief, to present the main ideas in digestible chunks. Bickmore introduces the

importance of flow and pacing when presenting information to a reader, stating that

“Appropriately organizing explanations of the facts and transitions between pieces of

information [...] helps the reader to logically understand the information and thus be persuaded

of its credibility” (Bickmore, 2016b). Therefore, throughout the story, if I move from one idea to
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another, I create a break in the paragraphs to represent the transition. Additionally, if there is

information from the article that requires a definition, I include a new paragraph and create a

situation where a grandchild asks a question when the topic is brought up. The grandfather

responds to the question with a definition using informal language. To adhere to the target

audience, I chose to piece together the information using paragraph breaks, rather than with

sections and overhead titles, as the research article did.

With the organization of the short story in mind, I decided to expand on the accessibility

of the short story by including visual aspects. I realized as I read the research article, the graphs

and images included were crucial to my understanding of the information. By creating a

multimodal piece, I would be able to present multiple ways for the audience to engage with the

information. Therefore, if a concept were difficult to understand in the text, an image would aid

in defining this idea. Similar to the research article, I emphasized the main ideas using images

corresponding to these topics. I created the images in Google Drawing which allowed me to

incorporate aspects of the genre conventions and structure of the text. To maintain a playful and

informal tone in the images, I used cartoons to illustrate the topics. To incorporate informal

language, I labeled the “diagrams” with the terms I used in the short story. To adhere to the

organization and plot of the short story, I inserted the images after the grandfather character

explains he has a picture to show the kids. Thus, the images contribute to the flow of the story.

By including these creative images, the content of the article in the new genre becomes more

understandable to the intended audience.

Apart from the decisions that directly impacted the curation of the new genre, a challenge

I faced in the translation resulted in choices that indirectly impacted the translation. The

challenge I encountered with the genre translation was deciding what information from the
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research article was relevant to include in the short story. Rosenberg offers advice on reading

through academic texts. Most notably she states that, “Reading academic texts is a deeply social

activity; talking with your professors and peers about texts can not only help you understand

your readings better, but it can push your thinking and clarify your own stances on issues”

(Rosenberg, 2011, p. 212). Therefore, I used peer revision activities as a place to converse with

peers. In the activities, I presented the information I had found in the article and explained which

parts of it I would use. Their feedback helped me narrow down the main ideas to include in the

short story. Academic research articles contain every possible detail because its audience are

other academics who dispute or use the evidence reported. Since I was writing a piece for a non-

expert audience, only the overall results were included in the story. I was not able to include the

explanations of the actual experiment conducted due to relevance in the short story. I included

the concluding importance of the research in the short story as the grandfather’s ending to his

story.

Through the translation process, I created a short story that offered both fact and fiction

to the reader. As I translated the article, and reflected on the choices I made, I became aware of

the elements of the short story genre I changed to carry out my goal. From this, I learned that

genre conventions are not static. Genres can change based on the setting and rhetorical situation

the author is responding to. The author of a piece can manipulate elements of the genre in order

to emphasize their message to the intended audience. As I manipulated the plot of the short story

to broadcast scientific information to a younger audience, also focusing on concise structure,

organization, and visual aspects, the authors of the primary source made decisions that

emphasized their message in order to reach their target audience. The dynamics of genres and
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influence of rhetorical situations gives authors freedom in their writing and the opportunity to

create original pieces.

Grandpa’s Sunday Stories: How Bacteria and the Brain Communicate

The kids all gathered around the fireplace as they did every Sunday night. They were snuggled

up against each other, eagerly awaiting the epic story about to be told by their grandfather. Their

grandfather sat in the big, creaking rocking chair closest to the fire. His eyes were closed, deep in

thought about the next adventure he must pass onto the future generation.

There were 3 children — Jeanie, Pauly, and Quincy. They were all red blood cells who lived in

the cozy tissues of Bertie the human. The kids were getting restless to hear the next captivating

adventure from Grandpa’s younger days. Grandpa opened his eyes, and with a fierce twinkle in

his gaze, he began.

“Many years ago, as you children know, I lived in a mouse. Oh my, those were the days!”

Grandpa exclaimed. His stories always seemed to start this way. The kids wondered how it was

possible to move from mouse to human, but they knew he would get to that story one Sunday.

Grandpa looked around at his grandchildren, wide-eyed, intently looking up at him. “I was a

curious child, always wandering around ChiChi the mouse. One day, while swimming in the

stomach juice lake, I fell into a deep, dark hole.” Audible gasps were heard from the

grandchildren.

“What did you fall into?” Quincy questioned.

“I had fallen into the gut. A large and winding space where lots of bacteria live and where food

moves into after being dissolved in the stomach,” Grandpa responded, nodding. “After I had

fallen into the gut, I quickly got my bearings. Your Grandpa is a strong blood cell as you know!”

Grandpa joked, pretending to show off his muscles. Giggles erupted from the children.

“I was looking all around the gut for a way out when I noticed a bacteria coming towards me. He

was skinny, his face almost see-through, and he was carrying a white envelope. ‘Hey kid!’ He

had called out to me. ‘Are you here to pick up the muropeptide?’”

“What’s a muropeptide, Grandpa?” Jeanie interrupted to ask in a squeaky voice.

Grandpa thought for a brief second. “Good question Jeanie. At that time, I didn’t know what a

muropeptide was either, but I know now. A muropeptide is basically a piece of the outside of a

bacteria which can act as a sort of message to the mouse or human brain when it reaches a

specific destination.” The children’s eyebrows were all furrowed trying to imagine how the

bacteria took a piece of itself to send to the brain.

Grandpa looked up. He was met with confused looks. He knew this was no ordinary story to tell

his grandchildren. He began rummaging around in his pockets, searching for something

important. “Ah, here it is. Look here children. This is a postcard I received from the bacteria who

gave me the muropeptide. Maybe this might help with your confusion.”

He pulled out a crumpled paper, unraveled it, and showed it to the children.
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“Ohhhh,” they chimed in unison. “Thanks Grandpa, we understand now,” Jeanie said, eager for

Grandpa to share the rest of his story.

Grandpa continued. “My mom— your great grandma — had always warned me not to play in

the stomach juice lake, and I knew if I made the wrong move, this bacteria would call my mom

and she would be so mad when I got home. So, I told the bacteria I was there to take this

package. The bacteria told me, ‘You look kind of young to be doing this, but whatever. Just take

this muropeptide, go up to the brain, and give it to Nod2 up on the 3rd floor of the hypothalamus

office.’ I grabbed the envelope from the bacteria and he walked away.”
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“You would rather go on a crazy mission to deliver a message to the brain, from a bacteria

you’ve never met before, instead of making Great Grandma mad?” Paul asked, one eyebrow

raised, skepticism riddled in his voice. “Just let him tell the story!” Quincy fired back.

“With the envelope tucked under my arm, I ran looking for a way out. I finally wedged my way

through a few cells and found a path to a bloodstream. I had never gone to the brain before, so as

I made it past the heart, I knew I needed to jump off soon. Blood cells can be pushy sometimes

since they’re all moving in the same direction. You really have to push your way through when

you need to get off the bloodstream.” Grandpa said, raising his finger. He never could get

through a story without a moment of wisdom.

“I jumped off, getting bumped around a bit, almost losing my grip on the muropeptide. When I

landed, I looked up and low and behold, the ominous, gray building with gold letters spelling out

‘BRAIN’ was right in front of me. I remember the doors to the building were so heavy, I had to

wait around the corner of the building waiting for a bigger cell to enter the brain and open the

doors for me.” Grandpa recalled, chuckling. “I thought you were a STRONG red blood cell,

Grandpa!” Jeanie exclaimed, mocking his muscle flexing. The whole group broke into laughter.

“I finally made it into the building,” Grandpa began again, “And quickly found the hypothalamus

office on the third floor. I entered the office and was greeted by a cell at the front desk. ‘Hey kid,

you’re not supposed to be here. This is the hypothalamus. A lot of ChiChi’s bodily functions and

responses are controlled in this region of the brain.’ the cell said to me. I took out the
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muropeptide and showed it to her. ‘Oh finally, I knew we were going to get a message soon since

ChiChi just ate. Follow me.’”

“Grandpa, do bacteria send out muropeptides every time the host eats?” Quincy asked.

“It seems like it, Quincy. That’s because when ChiChi eats something, the bacteria respond to it

in a way that sends out these muropeptides, it’s just one of those things,” Grandpa said

shrugging. “I told the cell in a small voice, scared by the seriousness of the office, that the

bacteria asked me to drop it off at Nod2. ‘Yes, yes of course. Muropeptides always go to Nod2.’

She said walking swiftly through the maze of cubicles. We arrived at a cubicle that had a

pedestal structure with the exact imprint of the envelope I was holding in my hand. ‘This is the

Nod2 receptor, it will recognize the muropeptide when you place it there,’ the cell said pointing

to the imprint on the pedestal. I placed the envelope right onto the pedestal –”

“What happened then, Grandpa?!” the kids asked in unison, faces adorned in curiosity and

excitement.

Grandpa smiled, he knew this was the best part. “The pedestal lit up entirely, and a rustling

began in the surrounding cubicles. From the window I was standing across, I could see a flurry

of envelopes being sent out in all directions from the hypothalamus office. I looked up at the cell.

‘The muropeptide you brought was recognized by the Nod2 receptor here and it triggered the

release of all those messages to ChiChi’s body to tell ChiChi that she is full and what

temperature her body needs to maintain.’ the cell explained sensing I needed answers.”
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“Wow Grandpa, it seems like you traveled all over ChiChi that day!” Quincy exclaimed.

Grandpa chuckled. “You are quite right Quincy. Here, let me show you where exactly I traveled

that day.” He pulled out the sketchbook and colored pencils that he always carried with him.

After a few minutes of furious scribbling, Grandpa showed his grandchildren the drawing.
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“Woah! So the piece of bacteria, from the gut, reached all the way to the brain?” Pauly blurted

excitedly. “And when that piece of bacteria reached the Nod2 thing, it basically sent out

messages to your mouse that control the functions of her body!?”

“That is exactly right Pauly.” Grandpa answered. “If no one was there to deliver the

muropeptide, ChiChi wouldn’t know that she was full, and would’ve kept eating until she had

more fat on her body than ever before. She also would not be able to regulate her body

temperature or nest like she normally did. And this doesn’t just happen in mice, it also happens

in humans like Bertie. I have not been on the same adventure in this new place, but I just know

this messaging between bacteria and the brain could be a big deal for functions in humans, too.”

The kids were silent, taking in the delicious adventure their grandpa had told them. They were

amazed by this new information and by the bravery of their grandpa. Content with the epic story,

they fell asleep, wondering how next Sunday’s story could top this one.

THE END.
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Works Cited

Bickmore, L. (2016, August 1). Genre in the wild: Understanding genre within rhetorical

(eco)systems. Open English @ SLCC.

Bickmore, L. (2016, August 1). The information effect: The facts, the figures, the so what? Open

English @ SLCC. https://openenglishatslcc.pressbooks.com/chapter/genre-in-the-wild-

Gabanyi, I., Lepousez, G., Wheeler, R., Vieites-Prado, A., Nissant, A., Wagner, S., Moigneu, C.,

Dulauroy, S., Hicham, S., Polomack, B., Verny, F., Rosenstiel, P., Renier, N., Boneca, I.

G., Eberl, G., & Lledo, P.-M. (2022). Bacterial sensing via neuronal nod2 regulates

appetite and body temperature. Science, 376(6590).

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj3986

Rosenberg, K. (2011). Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources. Writing

Spaces: Readings on Writing, 1, 210-220.

Williams, J., & Nadel, I. (1989). Style: Ten lessons in clarity and grace. Glenview, IL: Scott,
Foresman.