US: Children give voice to immigrant parents

[Francis Hult]

Chicago Tribune

 

Children give voice to immigrant parents

 

For immigrant families, the traditional roles of parents and children often flip, with children serving as guides to a foreign culture and language. They accompany parents to the doctor to describe a sickness or to the bank to fill out mortgage applications.

Critics long have said it's dangerous and unfair to lay the burdens of adulthood on children, but a growing body of research argues these young interpreters demonstrate memory and analytical abilities similar to those of students seen as gifted. 

"You're challenged to balance out between two languages, back and forth," said Kevin Dao, 15, a Vietnamese speaker who has translated everything from prescriptions to Social Security documents for his mother. "It definitely makes you smarter."

 

Full story:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-child-interpreters-01-weboct01,0,548726.story

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