New book reflects on child language brokering [Video]

The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) is celebrating the launch of a new book that delves into child language brokering among newcomer families.

Child language brokering is when children act as language and cultural intermediaries for their families during their settlement and integration into a new country.  

The book was compiled in part by TIES’ own Katerina Palova, Dr. Anusha Kassan (University of British Columbia) and Halley Silversides (University of Calgary).  

Titled Beyond Translation: Exploring Child Language Brokering in Alberta’s Culturally Diverse Landscape, the book is the culmination of five years of data gathering by interviewing more than 50 parents and their children.  

“We talked to many newcomer families, we actually did the interviews and surveys with them in English, French and Arabic,” said Palova.

“We spoke also to settlement practitioners, health care practitioners, some school staff as well as part of the of the delivery.”

“The little bit of research that’s been done on this topic …