I am a native Chinese speaker who was fortunate enough to have moved to the state of Missouri at the age of 13. With no friends, no knowledge of the English language, and no clue in general, I was forced to learn English the way a toddler learns her first language. I consider English to be my first language also because of this unique situation.

Ten years later, when I was in the U.S. Air Force, I developed a training program and related training materials to help Chinese linguists in the Navy; the purpose was to improve their Chinese reading and speaking skills so that they'd be better equipped to do their job. That was the first time I was involved in the intelligence community and I developed a real interest in translating and interpreting.

Right after I separated from the Air Force, I had an opportunity to work in Washington D.C. as a contract linguist, where I translated classified documents from Chinese to English. I was allowed up to 12 months to work on the translation project, but I managed to complete the entire document in five months. That was five years ago, and I still take on translation projects from this company when they have a deadline to meet. I enjoy translating because it helps me become more knowledgeable in both Chinese and English. And, I'm always up for a challenge.