An Accidental Translator

Geng Xingjian

How the story of a local employee embodies the growth of Sino-Lao hydropower cooperation.

On a recent trip to the hydropower station in Nam Ngum， Laos， I met Alex， a handsome young Lao staff member of the Nam Ngum River Basin Company of the Power Construction Corporation of China （POWERCHINA）.

It was by accident that Alex came to work for POWERCHINA. In 2013， POWERCHINA began its work on the construction of the Nam Ngum 5 dam in Laos. The resettlement of the local residents from the area flooded during the first phase of the project was well under way and some Chinese staff members were conducting a physical indicator survey at a local village school. Their translator happened to have the day off. Communication with the local residents – using a mixture of Chinese， Lao， body language and even drawings – was proving difficult.

It was then that Alex appeared. He approached the Chinese staff and asked if they could speak English， which they did. Speaking with them in English， Alex then translated into Lao for the local villagers. As a local himself， he soon gained trust from his fellow villagers. Through his translations， villagers came to understand the agreement and important breakthroughs between POWERCHINA and the local community were soon made.

Chinese staff members expressed their appreciation for Alexs assistance and， impressed by his intelligence and enthusiasm， invited him to work at the power station. Alex didnt hesitate： Chinese companies enjoy a good reputation there and local employees can earn a higher income than they could working at local businesses. Soon Alex became a translator for POWERCHINA.

Alex was born to a poor family and when he was ten， his parents sent him to a Buddhist temple to study. Every morning before daybreak， he went out with a senior monk to beg for alms， cleaning the temple upon his return. An intelligent and hard-working child， after a few years he had not only learned Buddhist scriptures by heart but had also taught himself English.

These formative years taught Alex the importance of diligence. After starting work at POWERCHINA， Alex noticed that his Chinese colleagues would often work overtime on the weekends. Soon Alex began asking his section leader on Friday afternoons if there was any extra work that needed to be finished over the weekend. When there is， he shows up without complaint.

Alexs Home Life

Alex lives in a village near the power station with his wife and three-year-old daughter. In his spare time， Alex works on the farm， fishes or does household chores.

When the new resettlement village was built， Alex and other villagers in the soon-to-be flooded area moved from rudimentary huts into spacious houses in the new village. Together with his wife， Alex has made their new house into a cozy home.

As a translator， Alex participated in the process of resettling villagers from the flooded area. The work was hard： transportation in the flooded area was inconvenient， remote villages had no electricity and food supplies were insufficient. Alex often had to stay in local villagers homes， went to bed when it got dark， and had nothing more than a ball of glutinous rice with a few fresh chilies for dinner.

Land requisition， resettlement and indemnity negotiations were complex and Alex had to make a full inventory of the villagers private properties， with every detail related to the interests of both the company and the villagers taken into account. As a Lao citizen， Alex played the part of a trusted translator and took great pains to explain to the villagers the companys position and the policy of indemnity. Following these meetings， Alex would report the villagers views and suggestions to the company， which would work to take the necessary measures to safeguard the interests of the villagers.

Alexs Chinese Colleagues

Alexs forthrightness and sincerity meant that soon enough， he had a number of Chinese friends at the company.

Over time， his Chinese colleagues began to learn Lao language. Noticing their poor pronunciation ， Alex offered to act as their language teacher. Familiarizing himself with their “Chinese-style Lao”， Alex helped them correct their pronunciation to the point where his colleagues could communicate effectively in the local language.

In turn， his Chinese colleagues introduced him to an aspect of Chinese culture： table tennis. He played hard， but was no match for his Chinese colleagues. （But when it came to kator， the national sport of Laos， Alexs colleagues were no match for him.） Alex has also become a devotee of Chinese cuisine， fish with Sichuan pickles being his favorite dish.

After lunch one day， Alex took a walk along a path within the perimeter of the power station with me and his Chinese colleagues. Turning to me， Alex said affectionately： “Working with POWERCHINA， I have benefited not only from a higher income， but also from the respect and the admiration of my fellow villagers. Im happy with this job and with my family. This is the life that Im living， the one that I have longed for.”

It has been a few months since my trip to the power station. But I still have fresh memories of the path that we took a walk on after lunch， the cracks of sunshine filtered through the redwood trees and the pleasant laughter of Alex.