Dear Daughter:
親愛的女兒：
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind.
當我們開車駛出哥倫比亞大學的時候，我想寫一封信給你，告訴你盤旋在我腦中的想法。
First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are. Your academic, artistic, and social skills have truly blossomed in the last few years. Whether it is getting the highest grade in Calculus, completing your elegant fashion design, successfully selling your painted running shoes, or becoming one of the top orators in Model United Nations, you have become a talented and accomplished young woman. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.
首先，我想告訴你我們為你感到特別驕傲。進入哥倫比亞大學證明你是一個全面發展的優秀學生，你的學業、藝術和社交技能最近都有卓越的表現，無論是你在微積分上得了最高分，完成自己典雅的時尚的設計，成功賣出繪制的跑鞋，還是在“模擬聯合國”演說中成為表現最突出的人之一，你毫無疑問已經是一個多才多藝的女孩。你的父母為你感到驕傲，你也應該像我們一樣為自己感到自豪。
I will always remember the first moment I held you in my arms. I felt a tingling sensation that directly touched my heart. It was an intoxicating feeling I will always have. It must be that "father-daughter connection" which will bind us for life. I will always remember singing you lullaby while I rocked you to sleep. When I put you down, it was always with both relief (she finally fell asleep!) and regret (wishing I could hold you longer). And I will always remember taking you to the playground, and watching you having so much fun. You were so cute and adorable, and that is why everybody loved you so.
我會永遠記得第一次將你抱在臂彎的那一刻，一種新鮮激動的感覺瞬間觸動了我的心，那是一種永遠讓我陶醉的感覺，就是那種將我們的一生都聯結在一起的“父女情結”。我也常常想起我唱著催眠曲輕搖你入睡，當我把你放下的時候，常常覺得既解脫又惋惜，一方面我想，她終于睡著了！另一方面，我又多么希望自己可以多抱你一會兒。我還記得帶你到運動場，看著你玩得那么開心，你是那樣可愛，所有人都非常愛你。
You have been a great kid ever since you were born, always quiet, empathetic, attentive, and well-mannered. You were three when we built our house. I remember you quietly followed us every weekend for more than ten hours a day to get building supplies. You put up with that boring period without a fuss, happily ate hamburgers every meal in the car, sang with Barney until you fell asleep. When you went to Sunday Chinese school, you studied hard even though it was no fun for you. I cannot believe how lucky we are as parents to have a daughter like you.
你不但長得可愛，而且是個特別乖巧的孩子。你從不吵鬧、為人著想，既聽話又有禮貌。當你三歲我們建房子的時候，每個周末十多個小時你都靜靜地跟著我們去運建筑材料，三餐在車上吃著漢堡，唱著兒歌，唱累了就睡覺，一點都不嬌氣不抱怨。你去上周日的中文學習班時，盡管一點也不覺得有趣，卻依然很努力。我們做父母的能有像你這樣的女兒真的感到非常幸運。
You have been an excellent elder sister. Even though you two had your share of fights, the last few years you have become best friends. Your sister loves you so much, and she loves to make you laugh. She looks up to you, and sees you as her role model. As you saw when we departed, she misses you so much. And I know that you miss her just as much. There is nothing like family, and other than your parents, your sister is the one person who you can trust and confide in. She will be the one to take care of you, and the one you must take care of. There is nothing we wish more than that your sisterhood will continue to bond as you grow older, and that you will take care of each other throughout your lives. For the next four years, do have a short video chat with her every few days, and do email her when you have a chance.
你也是個很好的姐姐。雖然你們姐妹以前也會打架，但是長大后，你們真的成為了好朋友。妹妹很愛你，很喜歡逗你笑，她把你當成她的榜樣看待。我們開車離開哥大后，她非常想你，我知道你也很想她。世界上最寶貴的就是家人。和父母一樣，妹妹就是你最可以信任的人。隨著年齡的增長，你們姐妹之間的情誼不變，你們互相照應，彼此關心，這就是我最希望見到的事情了。在你的大學四年，有空時你一定要常常跟妹妹視頻聊聊天，寫寫電子郵件。
College will be the most important years in your life. It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about. You often question "what good is this course". I encourage you to be inquisitive, but I also want to tell you: "Education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten." What I mean by that is the materials taught isn't as important as you gaining the ability to learn a new subject, and the ability to analyze a new problem. That is really what learning in college is about – this will be the period where you go from teacher-taught to master-inspired, after which you must become self-learner. So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn isn't critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever.
大學將是你人生最重要的時光，在大學里你會發現學習的真諦。你以前經常會問到 “這個課程有什么用”，這是個好問題，但是我希望你理解：“教育的真諦就是當你忘記一切所學到的東西之后所剩下的東西。”我的意思是，最重要的不是你學到的具體的知識，而是你學習新事物和解決新問題的能力。這才是大學學習的真正意義——這將是你從被動學習轉向自主學習的階段，之后你會變成一個很好的自學者。所以，即便你所學的不是生活里所急需的，也要認真看待大學里的每一門功課，就算學習的技能你會忘記，學習的能力是你將受用終身的。
Do not fall into the trap of dogma. There is no single simple answer to any question. Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don't believe in? I did that for a reason -- things rarely "black and white", and there are always many ways to look at a problem. You will become a better problem solver if you recognized that. This is called "critical thinking", and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life. This also means you need to become tolerant and supportive of others. I will always remember when I went to my Ph.D. advisor and proposed a new thesis topic. He said "I don't agree with you, but I'll support you." After the years, I have learned this isn't just flexibility, it is encouragement of critical thinking, and an empowering style of leadership, and it has become a part of me. I hope it will become a part of you too.
不要被教條所束縛，任何問題都沒有一個唯一的簡單的答案。還記得當我幫助你高中的辯論課程時，我總是讓你站在你不認可的那一方來辯論嗎？我這么做的理由就是希望你能夠理解：看待一個問題不應該非黑即白，而是有很多方法和角度。當你意識到這點的時候，你就會成為一個很好的解決問題者。這就是“批判的思維”——你的一生都會需要的最重要的思考方式，這也意味著你還需要包容和支持不同于你的其他觀點。我永遠記得我去找我的博士導師提出了一個新論題，他告訴我：“我不同意你，但我支持你。”多年后，我認識到這不僅僅是包容，而是一種批判式思考，更是令人折服的領導風格，現在這也變成了我的一部分。我希望這也能成為你的一部分。
Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy. Don't be trapped in what others think or say. Steve Jobs says when you are in college, your passion will create many dots, and later in your life you will connect them. In his great speech given at Stanford commencement, he gave the great example where he took calligraphy, and a decade later, it became the basis of the beautiful Macintosh fonts, which later ignited desktop publishing, and brought wonderful tools like Microsoft Word to our lives. His expedition into calligraphy was a dot, and the Macintosh became the connecting line. So don't worry too much about what job you will have, and don't be too utilitarian, and if you like Japanese or Korean, go for it, even if your dad thinks "it's not useful" : ) Enjoy picking your dots, and be assured one day you will find your calling, and connect a beautiful curve through the dots.