The gift of language: An anthropological approach to child language brokering in Barcelona

Abstract This study explores the “who, what, where, and how” of language brokering as performed by young adults. Given that the backgrounds of child language brokers merge with the socialization processes that encompass early adulthood, their potentially unique experiences may reveal valuable information about language brokering that can contribute to the advancement of academic, professional, and educational endeavors. This study examines the ontological narratives of 21 college-age language brokers in the United States to illustrate if and how their insights expand the limits of traditional views of interpreter-mediated interaction (e.g., in terms of settings, communication channels, degree of active participation).

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Interpreting Service: Educating Child Language Brokers through Service-Learning

Heritage Language Journal ◽

10.46538/hlj.13.3.7 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 434-453

Author(s):

Julia Sandler

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Child Language ◽

Language Brokering ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Heritage Speakers ◽

Academic Benefits ◽

Local Schools ◽

Language Brokers ◽

Professional Interpreting

How might a service-learning course help child language brokers (Tse, 1996) minimize negative effects and maximize the cognitive and academic benefits of language brokering? This question is answered with data from an ethnographic case study of a high school service-learning course in translation and interpreting. Heritage speakers of Spanish and less commonly taught languages serve as volunteer interpreters at local schools while learning the skills, habits and ethics of professional interpreting in this course. The theoretical lens of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977; 2006) is used to analyze how this curriculum affects students. This article also contributes to evolving definitions of service-learning for heritage language speakers, arguing that language brokering that students do for their families and communities should be seen as a pre-existing “service” that can be utilized in the prepare-act-reflect cycle of service-learning. Analysis of the data shows that this cycle is key to supporting students in building the confidence and skills to pursue careers in professional interpreting and helping them manage their family interpreting experiences. Students demonstrated increased self-efficacy perceptions in terms of interpreting, academic achievement and general life events, although the role that service-learning played in the latter two outcomes is still unclear.

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Caught in the middle: child language brokering as a form of unrecognised language service

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development ◽

10.1080/01434632.2015.1127931 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (7) ◽

pp. 710-725 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Rachele Antonini

Keyword(s):

Child Language ◽

Language Brokering

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Child language brokering in schools: Why does it matter?

Race Equality Teaching ◽

10.18546/ret.31.3.08 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 33-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Evangelia Prokopiou ◽

Tony Cline ◽

Sarah Crafter

Keyword(s):

Child Language ◽

Language Brokering

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Pratiche di mediazione non professionale degli studenti stranieri immigrati di prima o seconda generazione nel sistema scolastico italiano

SAIL - Educazione linguistica inclusiva Riflessioni, ricerche ed esperienze ◽

10.30687/978-88-6969-477-6/017 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Diana Peppoloni

Keyword(s):

High Schools ◽

Host Country ◽

School System ◽

Foreign Students ◽

Child Language ◽

Language Brokering ◽

Language And Culture ◽

Italian School ◽

Culture Of Origin

The study investigates the extent and characteristics of the phenomenon of Child Language Brokering (CLB) in the Italian school system, namely the linguistic mediation of foreign students for their relatives and the institutions of the host country. A questionnaire administrated to 347 students of 36 nationalities of two secondary high schools of Perugia, detected the characteristics of CLB, foreign students’ attitude towards their language and culture of origin and those of the host country, and their relationship with the mediation practices. After an introduction and an overview of the literature on CLB, paragraphs 3 and 4 describe the materials and methods used and the results obtained. Finally, conclusions concern the enhancement of CLB in an inclusive perspective.

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