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A Qualitative Analysis of What Latino Parents and Adolescents Think and Feel About Language Brokering

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Abstract

As the population of children living in immigrant and non-English speaking households continues to increase, children may be placed in the position to serve as an interpreter for their parents (i.e., a language broker). Relatively few studies, however, have obtained fathers’ reactions to their children serving as language brokers or explored the reasons why language brokering is linked to positive and negative youth outcomes. We interviewed 25 Latino adolescents (14 girls, 11 boys) and their parents (18 mothers, 11 fathers) using a semi-structured interview protocol. Interviews were digitally recorded and then transcribed, and themes were coded from the transcripts. When describing positive feelings associated with language brokering, parents and youth talked about children helping the family and the benefit of speaking two languages. When youth shared negative feelings, they talked about difficulties when words were complex and beyond their own English/Spanish language abilities. Children seemed to find language brokering experiences in health-related settings particularly difficult. Our findings begin to shed light on a relatively unexplored area of language brokering thereby highlighting a need for more studies examining youth’s understanding about the material being translated. Moreover, the relational aspect of language brokering within the family also merits further study given that for some families language brokering is a “shared” parent–child experience.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant awarded from the Virginia Commonwealth University Council for Community Engagement. We would like to thank the families who shared their experiences and time with us, our community partners who supported the project, and Ms. Ivette Santiago who provided guidance regarding participant recruitment. We are also thankful to Adam Iglesias, Anya Moon, Karen Mendez, Karin DeLeon, and Mauricio Taborga who helped with data collection, transcription, and coding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA

    Rosalie Corona, Lillian F. Stevens, Raquel W. Halfond, Carla M. Shaffer & Kathryn Reid-Quiñones

  2. City of Richmond, Hispanic Liaison Office, Richmond, VA, 23224, USA

    Tanya Gonzalez

Authors
  1. Rosalie Corona
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  2. Lillian F. Stevens
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  3. Raquel W. Halfond
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  4. Carla M. Shaffer
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  5. Kathryn Reid-Quiñones
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  6. Tanya Gonzalez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosalie Corona.

Appendix

Appendix

Parent Language Brokering Questions

“Have your children ever had to translate for you?”

  • “Tell me about a time when your child had to translate for you.”

  • “What was it like for you when your child translated for you? How did you feel?”

  • “Did you feel you understood everything your child translated for you?”

  • “Do you think your child understood everything he/she was being asked to translate for you?”

  • “Do you think the other person understood everything your child translated?”

  • “What other types of places or situations has your child had to translate for you? At school? At the doctor’s office? Any other places?”

Child Language Brokering Questions

“Have you ever had to translate for your parents?”

  • “Tell me about a time when you had to translate for your parents.”

  • “What was it like for you when you translated for your parents? How did you feel?”

  • “Did you feel you understood everything you were being asked to translate for your parents?”

  • “Do you think your parents understood everything you translated for them?”

  • “Do you think the other person understood everything you translated?”

  • “What other types of places or situations have you had to translate for your parents? At school? At the doctor’s office? Any other places?”

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Corona, R., Stevens, L.F., Halfond, R.W. et al. A Qualitative Analysis of What Latino Parents and Adolescents Think and Feel About Language Brokering. J Child Fam Stud 21, 788–798 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9536-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9536-2

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