Voice for a whole community

Research

Park (2002) examines how the children of Asian immigrants assist their families in
entrepreneurial work, negotiating between their family businesses, family, and community,
and in the process shaping, in part, their own ethnic identities.

Valenzuela (1999) reveals
how Mexican immigrant youth aid in household settlement, concentrating in particular on
the gendered nature of settlement activities such as translating. He finds that mostly girls take
on what he terms the roles of tutors (serving as translators, interpreters, and teachers for
parents and siblings), and advocates (mediating or intervening for parents or household members).

Lucy Tse (1996)used the term "language brokers" for children who "interpret and translate between culturally and linguistically different people and mediate interactions in a variety
of situations including those found at home and school" (p. 226). This term has been picked up by psychologists as well (Buriel et al. 1998; Weisskirch and Alva 2002).

Invoking a play on the Spanish word "para," Orellana et al. 2003) have coined the term "para-phrasing" signify the various ways in which children use their knowledge of the English language and of U.S. cultural traditions to speak for others and in order to accomplish social goals. The belief is this term emphasizes what children do is purposeful; they are taking action in the world, not simply moving words and ideas or explicating concepts.

High Stakes

When I was 12 years old, my mom asked me to translate at my sisters parent teacher conference. When I got there, the teacher and the principal were both there. They had both agreed that the best thing for my sister was retention. My mother didn't understand why and the two adults who were providing reasons for this decision weren't satisfying my mothers questions. To this day I feel guilty for seeing my sister struggle in school and for being stigmatized for having to repeat a grade. I always wonder if it was because I couldn't understand or if I didn't translate my mothers questions and advocacy well enough.

My uncle had been hospitalized and it was a surprise for all of my family. My six uncles and aunties (his siblings) all had different demands and questions. They all insisted I ask their questions and the answers that I kept translating were not satisfying to them, and it was difficult to communicate both the questions and answers. I remember being stressed thinking that maybe I say or ask the wrong thing and my uncle gets worse because of me.

I helped my parents fill out job, credit card, and social security applications and income tax forms. I
also helped them look for subsidized resources, make major purchases such as domestic appliances,
and manage their bank accounts. Not only did I do this for my parents, but I also helped out their
friends and other family members in applying for credit or employment.

Data: EL, LTELS Achievement Levels

Data

• Fall 2018
• 1,195,988 EL students
• 19.3% of students in CA
• 70.2% K-6
• 29.8% 7-12

Data

• 2016-17
• Across the California
• Beginning 9.1
• EI 13.4
• I 35.5
• EA 32.1
• A 9.9

2016-17 ELA Proficiency

2016-17 Math Proficiency

Emotional Negotiation

Social Emotional Negotiation

• Through their translations, children are witnesses to their parents humiliation, infantalization, and mistreatment. (Cisneros, 1991; Steedman, 1987; Walkerdines, 1997, Orellano, 2003 )

My parents get so anxious when the park ranger shows up. They have all of their permits but they still get so scared. And then the park ranger always seems angry. When I translate I don't want to anger him, and I also don't want to scare my parents, so I choose what to translate very carefully.

I was the only student in the whole school who wasn't allowed to go to sixth grade camp. I remember having to translate for my mom with three different adults, first my teacher, then the counselor and finally the principal. I wasn't allowed to spend the night anywhere but home, and it was hard to make each side understand- My middle eastern family was not going to budge and my American educators didn't understand the big deal.

I remember that day and I remember the tension I felt as I listened to my mom angrily complain about the lady and the pressure I felt to translate properly. I didn't know what to say, I wanted the complaint to sound like it came from a grown up (my mother), but I also wanted to stress how rude the lady was.

Research

Places where ELs translate

• Education
• Medical
• Commercial
• Cultural/Entertainment
• Legal
• Financial
• Housing

Education

• Parent/Teacher Conference
• Evaluate and select PreK programs
• Random Moments between adults at schools
• Reporting own and others absences
• Helping others with homework

Medical

• Filling out Insurance documents
• Reporting info at ER
• Translate at Dr and Dentist
• Fill Prescriptions
• Translate details during operations

Commercial

• Shop for and with
• Complete refund transactions
• Settle Disputes
• Receipts, ads, product labels
• Check for mistakes

Cultural/Entertainment

• Translate Plots/Dialogues
• Newspaper articles
• Amusement Parks
• Entry Tickets to events
• Community Events

Legal

• Police Reports
• Witness Accounts
• Social Security/WIC/Welfare
• Citizenship, INS, Voting
• Jury Summons

Financial

• Banks (open accounts)
• Pay Bills
• Obtain Credit
• Job Applications, Inquire about Jobs
• Calling Parents in sick to work

Housing

• Landlords/Tenants
• Communicate about upkeep
• Settle Disputes
• Order Services
• Fill out Rental applications

Implications

Classroom Practices

Our Task

• Middle School English Learners
• Math Intervention Class
• Social Emotional Development
• In Lieu of Elective

Untitled Slide

Untitled Slide

Addressing the Collective

Planning Lessons

• Circle Time: Sharing experiences
• Relevant Where/When we translate
• What is the math skill it requires (if applicable)?
• How might we practice our language?

Example

• Juan and SDGE
• Surcharge caused stress for family
• How do you read it? Where is the anomoly/change?
• How do we address? (Sentence Frames and language practice)
• Math Strategy and Math Practice

Standards Based Instruction

• Make Sense of Problems and Persevere in solving them
• Attend to precision
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively
• Construct Viable Arguments and Critique the Reasoning of others

Standards Based Instruction

• Interacting in meaningful ways
• Metalinguistic Awareness
• Collaborative exchange of information
• Negotiating with and persuading others
• Adapting language choices across various contexts

Example

• Rocio
• Elementary sibling is struggling academically
• How do I read the schools report card?
• How do we address this? (sentence frames and practice)
• Math Strategy and Math Practice

Voice for the Whole Community

Tse (1995:190) points out, "brokers act not only as conduits of information, but also as socializing agents," who provide access to opportunities in their communities. Their expertise
really matters for families' health, survival, and social advancement.