Book Translation Project: From Manuscripts to a Journey of Understanding Emotions with Olympia’s 10th Graders

Every big journey begins with small steps. For more than twenty 10th graders, those first steps started with the “Life Project” of the 2024-2025 school year - translating In My Feelings: A Teen Guide to Discovering What You Feel So You Can Decide What to Do by Vidal Annan Jr., Ph.D. The journey was far from easy. From their first encounters with translation skills to the stages of editing, proofreading, and designing, every step required patience, teamwork, and determination.

“While translating, our biggest challenge was how to express subtle emotions from English into Vietnamese. If we translated literally, the sentences sounded awkward, but if we went too freely, we risked losing the original feeling. The moment I remember most was when our group had a lively debate over a passage with multiple layers of meaning. Everyone came up with a different version - it even got quite intense at times - but through that process, we listened, analyzed, and finally combined our ideas to create a version that was both accurate and natural. That moment not only deepened our understanding of the book but also strengthened our teamwork,” shared Nguyen Duc Minh, Translator.

Pham Trung Hai, translator and designer, recalled: “For me, the most memorable part was designing the credit page - the one with all our names on it. Looking at that page felt like reliving our entire journey, filled with effort, dedication, and shared memories.”

Through the project, Olympia’s 10th graders not only honed their skills in translation, comprehension, and writing but also developed essential soft skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, presentation, and creativity through cover design and project promotion. More importantly, they learned patience, empathy, and the courage to overcome challenges together - invaluable lessons on their path to growth.

The final outcome - a completed translation published by the school, displayed in the library, and featured at exhibitions and fundraising events - is more than just a book. It’s a milestone of maturity, where students learned to listen to themselves, empathize with others, and confidently “take off” toward new challenges.

As the project came to a close, the students were left not only with a finished product but also with lifelong lessons. They realized that translation is not simply about converting words from one language to another - it is an art of conveying emotion, culture, and the soul of a text.

Some learned patience and flexibility in word choice to preserve not only meaning but also the spirit of the writing. Others took on leadership roles - balancing responsibility with empathy, guiding their peers while ensuring progress. And some discovered that even the smallest, most consistent contributions could make a big difference to the team’s success.

There were challenges - heated debates, moments of confusion over complex passages, and times that felt like dead ends. Yet it was through these very moments that the Olympians grew: learning to listen, to share, and to appreciate the power of teamwork.

In the end, the project brought not only a completed translation but also pride - pride in daring to take on a challenge, persevering to the end, and together leaving a true “mark of youth.”

To future generations, the translators leave this message: Be patient with the process, treasure every experience, and never shy away from challenges. The difficult passages, the debates, the deadlines - all are opportunities to build resilience, collaboration, and creativity. When you look back, you’ll realize they were not obstacles, but milestones on your path of growth.