Language Brokering Experience Affects Feelings Toward Bilingualism, Language Knowledge, Use, and Practices: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

Language brokering refers to the global practice whereby children in immigrant communities are called upon by family members to serve as linguistic and cultural intermediaries by translating and interpreting. Past research has examined the effects of brokering on parent-child relationships, mental health, and substance abuse and feelings toward brokering. A lesser-studied area is brokering effects on bilingualism, language maintenance, and cognition. This study examined how brokers perceive their own feelings toward their brokering, bilingualism, language, and problem-solving abilities through a series of semistructured interviews with Latinx college students. Language brokers reported both positive and negative experiences in addition to viewing language brokering as important for maintaining their first language and bilingualism. Language brokers also identified ways in which brokering experience enhanced their problem-solving abilities. These findings extend prior research by suggesting that brokering is an experience, which operates across cultural and linguistic domains. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Local Voices on Health Care Communication Issues and Insights on Latino Cultural Constructs

“…Having a family member present not only serves to help with language brokering but also offers some protection in settings where participants feel vulnerable or feel they are in opposition to the health care system. As research has noted, language brokers have an important role in their immigrant family's well-being (López et al, 2019) as well as in bridging literacy gaps.…”

Understanding Heritage Language Learners’ Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in Mixed Language Programs

“…In regard to the acknowledgement of HL students' language practices, some researchers have recently advocated for the explicit recognition and integration of students' language mediation practices (e.g., Angelelli 2010, Colina andLafford 2017;Gasca Jiménez 2019, forthcoming, forthcoming). Relying on research on language brokering 1 (e.g., Mc-Quillan and Tse 1995;Tse 1995aTse , 1995bTse , 1996Orellana et al 2003aOrellana et al , 2003bValdés 2003;Weisskirch 2007;Katz 2010;López et al 2019), these researchers argue that language brokering is a very common communicative activity in immigrant communities, which should be considered part of the unique linguistic practices of HL speakers. Additionally, (Gasca Jiménez, forthcoming) argues for the specialization of HL speaker's mediation skills in the context of HL education, and offers pedagogical suggestions to do so.…”

The Simon effect in bilingual language brokers: A role for emotion and proficiency

“…helping pay bills, household decision-making, and filling out employment forms; Arellano et al, 2018; Kam et al, 2017; Titzmann, 2012;Wu & Kim, 2009). Yet, brokering experiences are affected by parent feedback, age at the time of brokering, and context of brokering experiences (Antonini, 2016; López et al, 2019; Orellana & Phoenix, 2017; Shen et al, 2017), which evoke different emotional responses. However, how might feelings toward brokering experiences (i.e.…”

“…Therefore, when L1 proficiency is low, more negative emotional experiences may arise between the broker and their parent. Limited vocabulary, comprehension problems, and production errors are reported as reasons contributing to negative brokering experiences (Katz, 2014; López et al, 2019; Weisskirch, 2017a). However, high L1 proficiency may be a safeguard against negative experiences as brokering experiences help maintain L1 proficiency (Buriel et al, 1998; Halgunseth, 2003; Hall & Sham, 2007; Valdés, 2003).…”