“Que siempre la lengua fue compañera del imperio; y de tal manera lo siguió, que junta mente començaron, crecieron y florecieron, y después junta fue la caida de entrambos. Language was always the companion of empire, and as such, together they begin, grow, and flourish. And later, together, they fall.”

This epigraph previews Kuang’s focus on the colonization of languages as a key element of imperialism. The quote’s author, Antonio de Nebrija, was an important linguist who wrote one of the first grammars of a Romance language. Nebrija’s Gramática de la lengua castellana and Spanish dictionary were critical tools for Spanish conquistadors as they expanded the Spanish Empire. By quoting a foundational writer in the genre, Kuang lends credibility to her linking of language and imperialism. Her epigraphs here and throughout the novel also highlight that while her work is speculative, the political dynamics between language and empire she explores are not.

“He felt a sharp ache in his chest as Canton disappeared over the horizon, and then a raw emptiness, as if a grappling hook had yanked his heart out of his body. It had not registered until now that he would not step foot on his native shore again for many years, if ever. He wasn’t sure what to make of this fact. The word loss was inadequate. Loss just meant a lack, meant something was missing, but it did not encompass the totality of this severance, this terrifying un-anchoring from all that he’d ever known.”

This scene is a convention of migration narratives; namely, leaving one’s homeland is a traumatic experience. Despite his young age, Robin is already abstracting his experience through the lens of language. Here, Robin realizes that language and experience are not commensurate—this difference is the foundation for translation as magic. Because of his migrant experience, Robin intuitively knows what Babel tries to teach. His induction into the world of translation begins long before he sets foot on English soil.