This is artifact is about intercultural understanding.
level:3
Introduction：
Last semester, my IP, Project T, has an awesome output—-translated a book name In Order to live. This book was written by a North Kora girl named Yeonmi. It mainly about a Korean girl went through hardships to pursue freedom.
Sometimes I was very upset when I hear some bad news from other countries like North Korea, Syria, and some of the least developed countries. I was very lucky born in China, a strong country, but there are many people who can’t have enough water, enough food, and many of them starve to death.
I really love my IP—-Project T, it help to see the dark side of the world, and many people who have suffered a lot.
After I finish translate the book, I feel very sympathetic to them. A person cannot change his birth background and living environment, but he can change his destiny through his unremitting efforts and struggles to leave the bad environment. If you don’t try to make some changes and stick to your present life, your quality of life will never improve. Just like the protagonist Yeonmi in our book, if she does not make desperate efforts to escape from the original environment, she will never leave the backward environment, let alone become an excellent writer. She had failed numerous times during this period, and she had endured many, many hardships, but she carried them through and kept trying.
Know more from outside let me have more understanding, I know that our current life is hard-won, and it is also the result of previous generations’ efforts. When I understand some of the North Korean environment, It makes me cherish my current life more. I might have thought I was getting what I deserved, but I felt I was actually wasting a lot of resources. After translating that book, I started to appreciate my life more and try to break down some of the barriers that had been holding me back.
For some people living in a very bad environment, I also want to say to them: Maybe God is not fair to us, but fate can change on hard work.
Reflection:
a:Cultural self-awareness
When I translated this book, I found Korea’s culture is so different from Chinese culture and Korean dark sides?. The story of this book is about 20 years ago. China was already strong at that time, many people thought the money is God, and they tried their best to get money. However, North Korean was brainwashed by education that they only believe their country, and thought the bad live condition is normal. I think it is environmental reason. At that time, China’s economy was developing very fast, many people wanted to make money, while North Korea was still very backward, everyone just wanted to live well.
b.Cultural worldview frameworks
In 2000, most Korean still worked on physical work, and if they did something that means they disloyal to the country, they will be Arrests are transported to concentration camps and may even be executed directly. At that time, the Korean only want to get safe with family. However, there’s still some people who want to do some change to have a better life, and the only way to achieve that is by smuggling out of their country.
c.Cultural Empathy
I think the Korean policy at that time is unfair. Although it makes their citizen have strong faith in their country, they don’t have fair human rights. When I see some paragraph some said most people even died in sick, and the government killed whole family members. However, these policies make Korean kids very sensible, and family is very amiable because they know the importance of life and the value of their loved ones.
d.Verbal and nonverbal communication
The language they use is Korean which I think this language is very pleasant， this makes them have much beautiful music， and sometimes they will invite dance with them to show welcome. The conversation between normal people will never say country’s bad, because that saying will bring many bad things. I think the conversation between Chinese is more and more free than Korean.
e.Cultural Curiosity
Because that book is about 2000’s North Korea, and my IP’s members are really want to see how is it going now? Then we went to Yanbian( the Korean autonomous region and bordering China) and Shanghai. When we look at North Korea from our national door, we see North Korea also develops a lot and is too much better than the books describe. Then we went to Shanghai. After ELP, I think Shanghai and North Korea is Heaven & Hell.
f.Cultural Openness
During we stay in Yanbian, I have a conversation with an Ethnic Korean who is the owner of the Korean Specialty Restaurant. He helps me how to say some dished by Korean. He is really enthusiastic. He also said China is much better than North Korea in every way.
After the conversation, I take a photo with him and invite him to MSA if his family travel to Beijing.