In the third reading of Bereishit, we hear that God placed a deep sleep upon Adam, during which he took part of his body and made it into Eve.
The Arizal revealed that the value of “deep sleep” (הָמֵּדְרַּת) is equivalent to that of “translation” (םּוּגְרַּת). The implications of this equivalence are many. Let us focus on the literal meaning of the word “translation.”
What this equivalence reveals is that the translated version of a text is actually a dormant version of its original that lies asleep within the original text. It is particularly this dormant, translated version that can reach those who themselves are asleep. In other words, sometimes, when an idea is translated into another language, or into another set of metaphors, individuals whom the original did not impress are suddenly woken up and can relate to it.
Eve emerged from Adam’s deep sleep. Since Adam was created alone, Eve represents not only the first woman, but also the first “other” that Adam encountered. When there are two, each individual must make an effort to explain himself for the benefit of the other. Said another way, the existence of other people necessitates communication and communication requires translation from our inner thoughts and feelings to those of our friend. Specifically, the communication between Adam and Eve is akin to the translation from the language of the mind (Adam) to the language of the heart (Eve).
(from HaNerot Halalu, p. 204, n. 106)
