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From the start, reporting and writing this book posed a challenge: I do not speak Hmong, and Ia does not speak English. The five years that I spent in the field with Ia, which included more than 300 hours of interviews, were all conducted with the help of a professional interpreter. 

Since the book was published, I have been gratified by its reception. Still, there is a gaping hole in the book’s success: neither Ia nor the vast majority of older Hmong Americans can read it. This population largely speaks limited English, and mostly does not read in any language. For them to access this story of their community—indeed, for Ia Moua to hear her own biography—it became clear that The Hungry Season had to be translated into Hmong and recorded as an audiobook. I vowed to Ia that I would find a way.

This proved to be no small feat. To my knowledge, the Bible is the only full-length work of literature that has been translated from English to Hmong; no book of journalism ever has. One of the many reasons the process was so challenging was that going from English to Hmong requires more than exchanging one word for another; it demands that you take one way of expressing life through words and reshape that to fit into a whole other approach to language, rooted in a fundamentally different experience of the world. 

I was honored to find partners in several dedicated experts: Bee Vang-Moua, director of the Hmong language program at University of Minnesota, worked tirelessly to translate the book. Kazoua Yang, one of the foremost interpreters in the country, edited the translation. Today, Bee Vang-Moua is recording the audiobook under the direction of Hlee Lee-Kron, of The Other Media Group. Later this year, the non-profit MN Zej Zog will publish the Hmong translation in print and ebook forms. Our collective hope is that the book in all its configurations—two languages, three formats—will offer a dynamic learning tool for the growing number of Hmong-focused classrooms around the country. 

To my mind, it’s all a matter of basic language justice. Making this book available in the language of its protagonist creates the space for Ia and her community to be part of the conversation about it. Furthermore, bringing this story to a variety of platforms has the potential to spark a whole new dialog within the community itself. Lor Xiong, the Hmong American interpreter who partnered with me in reporting, has told me that over time she has heard many Hmong men tell their stories of the past, but never a woman, not even her own mother. Ia’s biography will offer the community a unique perspective across generations and, with luck, inspire other Hmong women to share their histories.

Sadly, none of this falls within the financial calculus of the American publishing industry. In order to access, engage with, and amplify the voices of those who speak another language, most writers must seek supplementary funding to enable them to work across languages. It follows that American authors—often already stretched for time and money—rarely report deeply about non-English speakers. The obvious consequence is that these people’s stories aren’t widely told; in effect, they are left out of the dominant conversation.

Our journey to create Hmong-language versions of The Hungry Season has been supported by a number of foundations and individuals. While their contributions have been generous, we have not yet raised enough money to cover the production expenses of translation, editing and recording. If you value this work, please use the button at the top of this section to make a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, The Food & Environment Reporting Network. As noted above, please write “The Hungry Season” after your name in the donation form to make sure your contribution reaches this project. Thank you!