A translator's job requires special care, especially when it comes to a work as entrenched in Filipino language and culture as Mga Ibong Mandaragit, (Birds of Prey). Estelita Constantino-Pangilinan strove to conserve both the local color and distinct style of Hernandez's prose while expanding its readership to a global audience.

Mga Ibong Mandaragit is a testament to the beauty of the Tagalog language spoken in the capital and the surrounding region. With this English translation, Estelita hoped to render Hernandez's work accessible to non-Tagalog speakers in the Philippines and around the world.

Like Hernandez, Estelita believed literature to be a powerful vehicle for education and social commentary. The original novel was first published in 1969, and Estelita wrote this translation in 1976. The novel's account and critique of oppression, inequality, and social justice was as relevant during that period as it is today.