Orellana : : Latino Children as Family Translators

Latino Children as Family Translators: Links to Literacy
This program of research examines the skills and strategies that Spanish-English bilingual children use when they translate for their immigrant parents, and the ways in which these skills may be leveraged for literacy learning in school. We also look at how this practice shapes the nature of family dynamics and how children experience their work as translators, interpreters, language brokers, or what we call "para-phrasers." The studies took place in the homes and classrooms of the children of immigrants (mostly from México) living in the Chicago area. Some research was also done in Los Angeles, CA, in the "California Childhoods" research site.

Methods

A Survey of 280 5th and 6th graders re: their language uses, translating experiences, literacy practices, and interactions with technology
School observations of Language Arts classes
Observations in the homes and classrooms of 18 children who were identified as active translators for their families
Audio-tapes of translations done by children in a range of situations
Individual and group meetings/interviews with case study children and teachers (video- and/or audio-taped)
Collection of student work and journal entries (click to see samples) that record their translating experiences
Literacy assessments administered to our case study students as well as to a comparative group of children who are not the primary translators for their families

PROJECT PAPERS

Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, Lisa Dorner and Lucila Pulido. (Forthcoming: December 2003). Accessing Assets, Immigrant Youth as Family Interpreters. Social Problems.

Marjorie Faulstich Orellana. (Forthcoming: December 2003). Children’s Responsibilities in Latino Immigrant Homes. New Directions for Youth Development: Theory, Practice and Research. (Special issue on Social Influences in the Positive Development of Immigrant Youth.)

Marjorie Faulstich Orellana and Philip Bowman. (2003). Cultural Diversity Research on Learning and Development. Educational Researcher, 32 (5): 26-32

Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, Jennifer Reynolds, Lisa Dorner and María Meza. (2003). In Other Words: Translating or "Para-phrasing" as a Family Literacy Practice in Immigrant Households. The Reading Research Quarterly.

Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, María Meza and Kate Pietsch. (2002). Mexican Immigrant Networks and Home-School Connections. Practicing Anthropology. (Special issue on Latinos in the Midwest.

RECENT TALKS

May 8, 2004
Bilingual Ways with Words: Family Interpreting as a Home Literacy Practice in Immigrant Households. Linguistic Minority Research Institute Keynote Speech (slides)

UCLA
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
Translations | CA Childhoods | Gendered Literacy | Orellana
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