ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the experiences of immigrant parents as they mediate linguistic and cultural norms and expectations for the children in familial, academic, and social domains. It explores the understanding of what constitutes language brokering and highlights the ways in which immigrant parents enact the role of strategic cultural and linguistic mediators, in spite of their limited English proficiency. A focus on interlingual brokering practices is significant in light of recent research on language brokering in family contexts, which often positions parents as being at the receiving end of assistance due to their lack of English language and cultural proficiency. Cecilia’s selectivity in her acts of mediation highlights the complex nature of language brokering decisions about when and how to facilitate understanding and communication. The chapter contains two types of data: observational videos in which parents engaged in brokering practices, and interview data in which parents described brokering practices.