Language Brokering Experience Affects Feelings Toward Bilingualism, Language Knowledge, Use, and Practices: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

Language brokering refers to the global practice whereby children in immigrant communities are called upon by family members to serve as linguistic and cultural intermediaries by translating and interpreting. Past research has examined the effects of brokering on parent-child relationships, mental health, and substance abuse and feelings toward brokering. A lesser-studied area is brokering effects on bilingualism, language maintenance, and cognition. This study examined how brokers perceive their own feelings toward their brokering, bilingualism, language, and problem-solving abilities through a series of semistructured interviews with Latinx college students. Language brokers reported both positive and negative experiences in addition to viewing language brokering as important for maintaining their first language and bilingualism. Language brokers also identified ways in which brokering experience enhanced their problem-solving abilities. These findings extend prior research by suggesting that brokering is an experience, which operates across cultural and linguistic domains. Implications for research and practice are discussed.