In families where parents do not speak, or have limited proficiency in, the majority language, children sometimes become interpreters for their parents. When I was an ESL teacher, some of my high school students acted as interpreters for their parents during job interviews.I also have had students interpret during Open House. There can be advantages and disadvantages for a child acting as an interpreter for their parents.
Advantages:
Confidence. As students act as interpreters, their confidence with the majority language and culture may increase. Children may gain metalinguistic awareness by learning new words and phrases in both languages. They may also earn praise and status within the family as well.
Maturity. In many situations, children are exposed to adult information. They are also acting in a more adult way when speaking to professionals. In addition, acting as an interpreter is a big responsibility. All of these factors may lead to greater maturity.
Closeness. Family members learn to rely and trust one another, resulting in feelings of family unity and closeness.
Disadvantages:
Unable to Interpret or Inaccurate Interpretations. Children may not know specialized terms or phrases in the majority language, especially technical terms. As a result, they may be unable to interpret information or interpret information correctly. Also, it may be difficult to translate exactly between the two languages. This may decrease the child’s confidence in the majority language and possibly their native language.
Pressure. Children may feel pressured and overwhelmed by acting as an interpreter, especially if they do not know the words being expressed in the majority language or if the exact translation between the two languages is difficult to achieve. Their parents may be relying on them as interpreters, and children may feel pressure and stress with being able to perform effectively as their interpreter
Inappropriate. Children may be exposed to information that may be inappropriate. Some information could have an emotional impact on the child such as medical or financial problems.
Parents and Native Language as Inferior. Children and professionals may perceive the parents as being in an inferior position because they do not know, or have limited skills, in the majority language. The majority language may be perceived as having a higher status since it is used for professional and important matters. As a result, children may perceive their native language as well as their native language community as being inferior.