Simple Ways Schools Can Support Students Who Translate at Home

"Children of multilingual immigrants frequently serve as "little interpreters" for their families and communities. They assist with translation during doctors' appointments, help make sense of utility bills, and translate school records, among other responsibilities. This process, known as language brokering, is necessary because families need assistance navigating systems in a second language and an unfamiliar culture. While this role develops students' cultural competency and communication skills, it also places them"

"Research shows that students who frequently translate for their parents face additional emotional and academic challenges, especially when institutions rely on them for tasks that should involve professional interpretation services. This added responsibility can lead to stress and conflict between familial and academic expectations without sufficient support. Language support is a shared institutional responsibility, and schools are in a powerful position to acknowledge these students' contributions. Schools can do so by training faculty members, offering emotional support to students, and creating clear boundaries around student translation."

Children of multilingual immigrants frequently serve as informal interpreters, assisting with doctors' appointments, utility bills, and school records. This language brokering helps families navigate systems in a second language and builds students' cultural competency and communication skills. Frequent translating creates additional emotional and academic challenges, especially when institutions depend on children for tasks requiring professional interpreters. The extra responsibility can cause stress and conflicts between family obligations and school expectations. Schools share responsibility for language support and can acknowledge student contributions by training faculty, offering emotional resources, setting clear boundaries around translation, and validating students' skills to foster inclusion.

Read at Psychology Today