Navigating Immigration Law in a “Hostile Environment”: Implications for Adult Migrant Language Education

Abstract

In this article the author analyses the communicative demands placed on migrants navigating immigration law in a fast-moving policy environment and implications for adult migrant language education. Data are from an ethnographic study of a lawyer, Lucy, and her clients at a legal advice service in Leeds, England, and include interviews and recordings of lawyer-client interactions. The analytical focus is on Lucy's stance (Jaffe, 2009b), on how she presents herself as an ally of her multilingual clients, and on the stance-marking strategies she and her clients use as they strive to make meaning. The study took place in 2016, a time of volatility for the policies that impinge on immigration law and on legal interaction for migrants: the upsurge of right-wing populist movements in Europe, erratic positions on migration in the United States, and the referendum that decided the United Kingdom would leave the European Union. The author maintains that the link is rarely drawn between interaction in legal and other institutional settings and the content of language classes designed to aid adult migrant settlement, and argues for an approach to adult migrant language education that critically addresses this point. M igration is the normal paradigm, a fact of life for many, and a defining feature of 21st-century globalisation. For individuals, however, it can entail huge and sometimes traumatic disruption. This is not least because the communicative challenges faced by migrants when attempting to settle in a new country are far from straightforward. Quite the reverse: In many areas of their lives-including immigration law and the legal dimension of settlement-interaction is complex, involving engagement with unfamiliar discourses in a policy environment that around the globe is ever more volatile. This article is about how the stance of a supportive lawyer aids multilingual migrants

The craft of translation: documentary practices within immigration advocacy in the United States

“…Striving for dignity also respects documents’ emotional content through empathy and stance‐taking (Simpson, 2020; Thomson, 2012). Translating establishes an intimate connection with the words of the original, potentially resulting in textual embodiment (Faria et al., 2020).…”

“…Those who speak limited English are legally disadvantaged 5 in an environment in which for example the public has supported "English-only" ballot initiatives. 6 In unequal interactions, migrants are the ones who must adjust their communication strategies (Simpson, 2020), and as Sandhya Fuchs (2020, 179) notes, "the performative standards of law can conspire to exclude people. .…”

“…Those who speak limited English are legally disadvantaged5 in an environment in which for example the public has supported “English‐only” ballot initiatives 6. In unequal interactions, migrants are the ones who must adjust their communication strategies (Simpson, 2020), and as Sandhya Fuchs (2020, 179) notes, “the performative standards of law can conspire to exclude people… from the very law designed for their protection.” Furthermore, legalization applicants are held responsible for translations’ accuracy, even though applicants are not fluent in English. If translations introduce discrepancies or ambiguities, such errors could result in delays or could undermine applicants’ legal claims.…”

“…All this to say that there were multiple layers of research involved in this translation. (Véronique's fieldnotes, January 2012) Striving for dignity also respects documents' emotional content through empathy and stance-taking (Simpson, 2020;Thomson, 2012). Translating establishes an intimate connection with the words of the original, potentially resulting in textual embodiment (Faria et al, 2020).…”

Negotiating belonging in multilingual work environments: church professionals’ engagement with migrants

“…The majority of previous studies outlined above are conducted from a theological perspective, whereas only a few focus on language and communication (Chao 2020;Gregory et al 2013;Simpson 2020). Specifically, the research field concerning the church role in the migrant context still lacks attention to the pastoral practices of parish leaders and other church professionals working in multi-ethnic environments and to their everyday interaction with migrants.…”