移民子女：不让父母受人欺

具有不同肤色和语言障碍的美国弱势群体往往得不到尊重并会受到系统性歧视。《纽约时报》刊登的一名高中女生Carolina Sosa的短文，讲述了她如何努力帮助常遭人白眼的父母战胜歧视的经历。

Discrimination still runs rampant in Western countries – leaving visible minorities with language barriers to be marginalized and discriminated against. In an essay published by the Times, Carolina Sosa, a high school student, describes her efforts in helping her immigrant parents survive the systemic discrimination.

当我和父亲走出便利店时，肥胖的收银员和他的同事耳语道，“又是一个在找工作的非法移民。”在这之前，我们开车去买午饭，父亲看到“招聘启示”时十分欣喜。

"Just another illegal looking for a job," the chubby cashier whispers to his coworker as my dad and I walk out of the convenience store. We had just driven up to buy lunch, and my dad was delighted to see a "Help Wanted" sign.

“女儿啊，我可以申请吗？”父亲急切地向我恳求道。尽管我很不请愿看到一群白色面孔的工人，但还是勉强同意去向肥胖的收银员问一问工作申请的事。胸卡上写着戴夫(Dave)的这名收银员告诉我们，申请的第一步是口头面试。戴夫会问一些问题，父亲要努力作答。父亲的英文很糟，所以频繁地望着我让我帮他翻译。在问了一些问题之后，戴夫转过头望着我。

"Mi hija, por favor pregunta si puedo aplicar" he eagerly pleads to me. Despite my hesitations of seeing an army of white-faced workers, I reluctantly agreed to ask the chubby cashier for an application. The cashier, whose name tag said Dave, informed us that the first part of the application was a verbal interview. Dave would ask the questions, and my dad would do his best to respond. His English was broken and he frequently looked to me for translating. After a few questions Dave concluded the interview and looked over to me.

他看着我说：“听我说，姑娘，他已经60多岁了，一点英语都不会。我们没办法聘请他。”他的语气很粗鲁，但是我难过地明白了，为什么父亲没应聘成功。我面对着满怀希望的父亲，告诉他戴夫刚想起来昨天就已经招过其他人了，而且他们真的没钱再招聘其他人了，这时我看到父亲的笑容褪去了。父亲很失望，但是很有礼貌地握了握戴夫的手，感谢他抽空进行面试。

"Listen, girl. He's over 60 and speaks no English. There is no way we would hire him." His tone was rude, but I sadly understood why my dad wasn't hired. I faced my hopeful dad and watched his smile drop as I told him that Dave just remembered that they hired someone yesterday and that they really couldn't afford to hire anyone else. My dad was disappointed, but nonetheless he graciously shook Dave's hand and thanked him for his time.

找工作对每一个人来说都很困难，但是在一 个到处都是戴夫这样的人的世界里，它变成了几乎不可能的事情。戴夫们一看到我的家人就会立刻看扁我们，认为我们是贫穷、没有接受过教育的非法移民。戴夫们 永远不会让我的父亲通过第一轮工作申请。我和我的兄弟进入商店时，戴夫们就会像老鹰一样紧盯着我们。戴夫们会纠正我母亲的语法，丝毫不顾及她的感受。因为 世界上有戴夫们的存在，我成了家人的守护者。对于他们的行为，我就理解为“典型的美国人”就是这样的。我说服母亲，他们只是在盯着她新买的可爱钱包看。我 说服父亲，他们朝我们大声嚷嚷，只是店铺的推销。除了当一个守护者，我还是一个倡议者，我要确保自己的家人永远不会被人占便宜。我总是在留心那些骗局，以 及与事实不符的表述。买卖车辆时，都由我来问所有的问题。我要确保所有细节都要谈到，所有具体问题都有解答。

Job searching is difficult for everyone, but in a world full of Daves, it's almost impossible. Daves are people who look at my family and immediately think less of us. They think illegal, poor and uneducated. Daves never allow my dad to pass the first round of job applications. Daves watch like hawks as my brother and I enter stores. Daves inconsiderately correct my mother's grammar. Because there are Daves in the world, I have become a protector for my family. I excuse their behavior as just being a "typical American." I convince my mother that they are only staring at her lovely new purse. I convince my dad they are only shouting about store sales to us. Aside from being a protector, I am also an advocate. As an advocate, I make sure my family is never taken advantage of. I am always looking out for scams and discrepancies. I am the one asking the questions when we buy or sell a car. I make sure all details are discussed and no specifics are left unanswered.

从8岁开始，我就一直致力于帮助父母。尽管我并非总是很喜欢扮演一个小大人，但是每次完成一个任务时，看着父母的笑容我总是很开心。我很快得出了一个结论，那就是我很喜欢让别人幸福。为别人做一些他们自己无法做到的事情让我感觉很舒服。我的父母从来都没有帮我抵挡现实，我很清楚他们过去与贫困的抗争，我知道自己何其幸运，能够有饭吃，有地方住， 有学可上。在帮助父母数年后，我决定拓宽自己的客户群：开始做志愿服务。

I have been committed to helping my parents since I was 8 years old. Although I didn't always enjoy acting like a mini-adult, I was always delighted to see my parents smile when I finished a task. I quickly came to a conclusion that I liked making other people happy. It felt good to do something for others that they couldn't do for themselves. My parents never shielded me from reality. I was very aware of their past struggles with poverty and I knew how lucky I was to have food on the table, a roof over my head and a school to attend, and after years of helping just my parents, I decided to expand my clientele: I began volunteering.

我在救济站、养老院，公共图书馆和公园都做过志愿者。我还曾和鼓舞人心的领导者一起共事，前往到偏僻的地方，遇到了各个年龄段的颇具魅力的人。我很快就爱上了公共服务，也爱上了我的社区，即便在八年之后，这份爱依旧不灭。

I have volunteered at soup kitchens, retirement homes, public libraries and parks. I have worked with inspiring leaders, traveled to unique locations and met with engaging people of all ages. I quickly developed a love for both service and my community, and after eight years the love still flourishes.

对于能够扩大自己的影响力，我感到很兴奋，也希望能够从事公共服务、政治或者外交领域的工作。我很感激自己所获得的所有支持。从关心照顾我的公立学校的老师到补贴午餐，美国为我走向成功铺垫了 一条道路。无疑，这条道路并不总是顺利的，但是我那双强健且坚韧的双脚鼓舞着我前进。

I am excited to widen my impact and hope to pursue a career in either public service, politics or diplomacy. I am so grateful for all the support I have received. From caring public school teachers to subsidized lunches, the United States has put me on a path to success. Undoubtedly this path wasn't always paved, but rugged and relentless feet have carried me along.