[1] Milburn grew up in a multilingual family living in eight different countries,[2] and became interested in Chinese literature as a teenager, after reading a translation of the Dream of the Red Chamber.
[1] Milburn has authored several books including Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom,[4] Urbanization in Early and Medieval China: Gazetteers for the City of Suzhou,[5] and The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yan.
[7] Her translations include the bestselling novel Decoded by Mai Jia (co-translated by Christopher Payne), which caught her attention because of a family connection: her grandfather was a codebreaker in World War II, like the book's protagonist.
[citation needed] Her translation has been praised for its "tightly wrought aphorisms" and for "the classic beauty and elegant taste of the language".
[8][9] In 2018, Milburn's translation work was recognised by the Chinese government with a Special Book Award of China, which honours contributions to bridging cultures and fostering understanding.