A girl in translation.
A girl in translation is a book that talks about the journey of twelve year old girl Kimberly Chang together with her widowed mother. The book talks of their immigration journey to a new continent thus facing a lot of challenges especially side of urban life as well as economic exploitation. The author, Jean Kwok talks of their lively expedition where it has a predictable ending as pluck and education leads to success therefore a good book to read. The title of the book captures several instances where Kimberly has to translate to something else including its literal meaning of learning to translate two languages. This essay therefore seeks to find other ways that Kimberly has to translate into other forms.
The book shares bravery of Kimberly who from a young age with her mother migrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn in America. She and her mother experience difficult times in a new environment where at a young age Kimberly had to put the interests of other before her own as she started fending for herself. Kimberly’s Aunt was the only relative they had in America who provided employment for them as she owned a garment factory. She also provided accommodation in a nearby apartment but the services turn out to be exploitative where Chang’s mother ends up overworking.
Kimberly on the other hand goes to school but after school hours she joins her mother in the factory. Their apartment however catered for is not a pleasant environment as it is full of roaches. Kimberly has a hard time in school especially because she speaks no English. Nevertheless she turns out to be good in science and math even though she is shy. She later earns a scholarship into a reputable private school where her performance is too good in a state that she is given an oral special exam to make sure she is not cheating. With her performance she winds up going to one of the best top worlds university, Yale University and Harvard University on full scholarship.
Furthermore, in the process, she meets matt who works at the factory and is willing to drop out of school to provide for her, Curt who is a sweet boyfriend but dumb and a loyal friend A Annette who she has been friends with from sixth grade. Kimberly in her journey undergoes a lot of struggles as she adjust into a exploitative environment and also coping with her mother’s old worlds embarrassing ways as well as the American culture allurement.
Kimberly faces translation throughout the book. Her first translation took place when they moved to Brooklyn in New York as her mother was fearful of her future. Their migration set up a new lifestyle for them with a new culture and life to adapt to. They come with the hope of having a better life but to their shock they were exploited. They had to translate to their exploitative environment leaving behind their old life in Hong Kong. Kimberly for example, abandoned her old name, home, school and also friends as young as she was. In addition, they were indebted to Paula who pays for Chang’s mother hospital bills and the plane tickets. Kimberly and her mother’s complains especially about the flat they were living in stood no ground as Paula constantly reminded them that they owed her.
Furthermore, Kimberly translated into a different kind of life when she balanced between school and work. She had to live a double life as she bore her family’s expectation. Kimberly and her mother lived in absolute poverty with their apartment crawling with roaches. Besides, she wears handmade clothing, can’t go out and lacks a phone. She faces humiliation at school where she does not have anybody to talk to. One day at school she faces humiliation as students laugh at her, she feels embarrassed and humiliated to a point that she misses school the next day. In addition, her teacher Mr. Borgat is not bothered by the fact that she cannot speak English showing no interest of the girl and does not change his opinion. However a boy who she works with at the factory encourages her that without education she will spend her life at the factory.
Kimberly fears for her life after Matt’s notation and therefore she goes back to school. She decides to translate to the environment where she later finds a friend, Annette who makes her school life more bearable. Kimberly continues to study in school undergoing difficulties at home. She has to hide some facts like not owning a central heating, the fact that they cannot afford hospital bills if anyone falls sick as they are too poor and also that she works at the factory after school. Kimberly also adapts to living in the dirty flat as her aunt kept reminding them they are indebted to her therefore they should not complain.
Moreover, Kimberly continues to translate to her lifestyle at school. With the help of her friend Annette, school is better and she works hard. Besides her ignorance in English literature she finds out she is good in science and math where she gets a full scholarship to Harrison High School. She studies even harder as she has the burden of her family on her shoulders. She performs very well exceeding the other students to a point of her performance is questioned. In the process of her struggle she gets a full scholarship to Yale University and later proceeds with Harvard for medicine.
Kimberly also has to translate accepting that she loves Matt.Matt works at the garment factory with Chang and her mother. Kimberly felt that she was way out of the league for matt as he seemed too fancy thus Matt dates Vivian who is a Chinese beautiful girl. Later Matt drops out of school and wants to cater for Chang.The boy’s mother passes away where he feels forlorn as he has to take care of his brother who is intellectually disabled.Matt one day went to school to meet Kimberly where he sees her with another boy, Curt who is a classmate and when Kimberly sees matt she leaves with him. She realizes that her feelings towards Matts are no longer platonic therefore she starts dating him. She adapts to her new dating lifestyle which was quite different as Curt was unfortunately dumb. In their dating process Annette discovers Kimberly’s address in Brooklyn and she is shocked by their living condition where she goes and persuades her mother, a real estate worker to help.Mrs. Avery, Annette’s mother works wonders and finds a better comfortable and cozy apartment in Queens and Kimberly is ecstatic.
Nevertheless, while dating Matt, Kimberly is accepted to Yale and quits her job at the garments factory. She later learns that she is pregnant with Matts baby but does not want to let him know therefore she hides the preganacy.With the admission of full scholarship at Yale means that they were no longer in poor state. She breaks up with Matt and translates to having the baby without him as she does not want to live in Chinatown. Twelve years later we learn from the story that they met with Matt who was a pizza delivery guy while on the other hand she was a successful pediatric surgeon as she lived in a fancy house with her mother and son. Kimberly beside her love for Matt, translates to giving him up as he already has a family where Vivian his wife was expecting. She accepts they are different thus giving up her love and does not regret her decisions.
Kimberly in the girl in translation faces many difficulties which makes her translate to different situations as she has a burden of making her family better. Through her story we learn the struggles of and sacrifices for immigrants. Often we feel that immigrants are not welcome as we feel they take our opportunities. Jean Kwok through uses Kimberly to describe the hardship of such immigrants. In addition we learn how struggles can shape someone’s identity in life through the choices made. The translations in Kimberly’s life are significant as a whole as they define her and make her who she is.From poverty stricken conditions to being accepted in Yale university graduating from Harvard medical school ,Kimberly in her life portrays impossible is nothing with a lot of bravery.