Child's life found in translation

  • Published
  • By Airman Elliott Sprehe
  • 27th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (ACCNS) --  Adoption can be a trying process and if the child is being adopted from China, paperwork is probably not going to be one of the biggest worries.

For Staff Sgt. David Aten, 27th Communications Squadron, and his family, such a situation arose when they adopted their 2-year old son, Connor, in January.

Connor spent the first two years of his life in the Lianyungang Social Welfare Institution, in the province of Jiangsu, China.

"We started the adoption process in January 2006 and we didn't actually go to China to get him until January 2007," said Sergeant Aten.

The adoption process consisted of filling out no shortage of paperwork, several visits by social workers and working through the Chinese embassy in Los Angeles.

"When we got Connor, they gave us a lifebook, which was a book of pictures, milestones and imprints of his hands and feet," said the sergeant.

The problem with the lifebook was the language barrier. Sergeant Aten wanted his family to know about Connor's, whose Chinese name is Lian Xin Xiang, life and history before they adopted him.

Sergeant Aten tried to get it translated by using a couple of different options, but "didn't really receive too many responses."

After exhausting his options, Sergeant Aten read an article in the Mach Meter, Cannon Air Force Base's former newspaper, about a Chinese-born, native-speaking Airman, Senior Airman Yi Liu, working with the 27th Services Squadron.

Airman Liu lived in China until she moved to the United States with her parents.

After reading the article, Sergeant Aten contacted Airman Liu to see if she would be interested in translating Connor's lifebook. She readily agreed.

"He e-mailed me, (told) me his situation and asked if I could help," said Airman Liu, who was deployed with the 379th Expeditionary Services Squadron.

"My wife scanned the pages (of Connor's lifebook) and we have been e-mailing them to (Airman Liu) about one or two at time," said Sergeant Aten.

Though she says she is constantly busy while currently deployed, Airman Liu said she felt a personal obligation to help.

"In my hometown, I've seen people leave their baby in front of the bank. They can't afford them; they didn't want them because (the baby was) a girl. I don't know," said Airman Liu. "What I did for Sergeant Aten, compared with what he did for Xin Xiang, is nothing."

When Airman Liu returns from her deployment she plans to meet the Aten family.
For Connor's new family, the feeling of gratitude is mutual.

"We plan on making her part of the family," said Sergeant Aten.