When I was about to move to United States, my friend gave me a translator. This   步步高（ Step Step up） translator has a significant impact on my life. Since I immigrated to United States on 2010, my life changed completely, new people new place new language everything is different. All my relatives and family members came to United States to bury their life working in restaurants. But I didn’t want to repeat their life, so I went to high school. For almost 3 years in high school, I barely have any friends because I don’t speak the language they speak. My closest friends were the translator.  That translator had helped me to survive the first few years of immigration life and getting me through high school. When other students were playing with their phones, I looked up for words on the translator. As for now, I become my family’s translator, I’m frequently helping my friends when they ask me to translate for them.  I from time to time functioned as a translator for people, and it felt great, it made me felt confident, not only because I speak more language than they do, or I can do what they cannot, but because I didn’t allow myself to stop learning and quit school like what many others around me do. I think, on a degree this Step Step up translator really helped me to get where I am now, it’s a bridge that not only connecting me to English, but also forged me into a better person by allowing me the ability to learn all other things. Despite that this translator broken long time ago but am glad that it and I became close friend, and I will keep it forever.   

– TL

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant