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Mike Vang
Mr. Coey
English 10 Honors
13 October 2013
Lost in Translation
Amy Tans Chinese-American novel, The Joy Luck Club, recounts the tragic pasts of
Chinese mothers and presents the struggles of their American-born daughters in learning their
own life-lessons through their turbulent relationships with their mothers. Each of the four
daughters embark on an internal journey in search of hidden truths and relive their most dreadful
moments of childhood to overcome the present. In their strenuous search, they recall the wise
Chinese words and stories of their mothers and ponder of the meanings in desperate hopes of
comprehending their identities. Consequently, they realize the difficulties in the Chinese
language and their lack of communication. Although language connects the daughters to their
mothers and their culture, it also creates a barrier of misunderstandings through inexpressible
cultural concepts, mistranslations, and the silence of characters.
Throughout the novel, Tan argues that certain cultural concepts cannot be translated. The
Chinese language contains power that cannot be contained in another language. The indecisive
daughter, Rose, contemplates of the words of her mother before her divorce in marriage and
concludes that Maybe they cant be easily translated because they refer to a sensation that only
Chinese people have (210). In this case, no words can express the state of hulihudu, a term
that loosely translates to confusion. A language contains personal feelings unique to their people
and cannot in anyway be translated without losing a part of its meaning. June recounts the
memories of her late mother and her mothers ambiguous description of June. She always said

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things that didnt make any sense, that sounded both good and bad at the same time (234). June
is thrown into confusion as to if her mother is praising her or criticizing her. Language can be a
powerful manipulative tool that causes misunderstanding through a certain context. Cultural
concepts may not be translated for there is complexity in both the words and its context. Tan
purposely stirs confusion between the mothers and daughters using Chinese cultural concepts in
order to reinforce the power that language holds.
Mistranslations occur throughout the book on accident and on purpose. Translation may
be manipulated for personal gains or honest intentions. In the case of the daughter Lena, she
mistranslates the words of her mother to her American father on purpose. I often lied when I
had to translate for her (109). Lena mistranslates for personal gains out of embarrassment of
her mother. She also mistranslates for selfish desires such as a lunch box because old paper
bags can carry polio germs (110). On the other hand, however, Lena mistranslates to her father
out of honest intentions, in part because of the worries that it may cause, and because of the
confusing meanings that her mother may mean. I could not tell my father what she had said
(117). Her mothers words frighten her and she mistranslates for the better. She cannot
pronounce to her father that her mother is insane. Tan successfully portrays mistranslations as a
positive and negative aspect of language in order to depict the significance and power that
translation can hold if it is manipulated.
The silence of characters provides the momentum of the novel. Tension is built up,
imagined or not. In the case of Waverly, she suffers from the daily criticisms of her mother and
ends up thinking throughout her whole life that her mother hates her. Waverlys friend demands
Why dont you tell her to stop torturing you (191). In fact however, Waverly is torturing herself
by her lack of communication with her mother. Her fear of her mother halts her from speaking

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up and develops the momentum of her relationship with her mother. Waverly builds up the
courage, however, And really, I did understand finally (203). By confronting her mother and
expressing her feelings, she understands that her mother had never meant any harm. Her conflict
with her mother is resolved as she realizes her mother was only a fragile old lady. Her mother
states, You think I have a secret meaning (201). Waverlys silence created a false mental image
of her mother and made her think that her mother had always hated her. Her mother, however,
had never had any hidden intentions in her words but the honest truth. Tan successfully stresses
the significance of language as a form of (confirmation in) resolving conflicts.
Tan depicts the family struggles between mother and daughters and truly shows the
power of language. The power of language can stir confusion for no other language can contain
its meanings. Mistranslations also occur, whether for pure or malicious intents, and manipulate
those around. The absence of language can be devastating, but the solution is the language itself.
Through this novel, Tan successfully portrays the life-saving and devastating power of language.

Word Count: 789

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Works Cited
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Everbind, 1989. Print.