ABSTRACT

Among immigrant families, children often learn the host language faster than their parents and act as language brokers, where they translate and interpret written and spoken communication, on behalf of their parents and other adults. For many youth, language brokering activity may begin early in childhood and continue into adolescence and, for some, into adulthood. Language brokering may be one acculturation strategy that helps a family integrate into the host culture. At the same time, youth are growing up and developing in a cultural environment different from their parents’ environment. Consequently, youth’s values and expectations for behavior may be more similar to those of their peers in the host culture than those of their parents. Moreover, typical and expected adolescent drives toward autonomy and individuation may need negotiation, given the need for adolescents to language broker. Therefore, it becomes important to consider the developmental and familial aspects for adolescent language brokers.