Why Translating Doesn’t Work for Newcomer ELs
2 Viral Posts…. Go Check ‘Em Out
Hola, mi gente! This blog expands upon two posts that went viral on my socials last month. This first one is a quote from the OG Monolingual Bias Disruptor, Dr. Kathy Escamilla:
This post went viral on LinkedIn.
The second is a video I shared on Instagram, where I break down the differences between translating and translanguaging:
So then.. What does translating have to do with the Monolingual Bias, and how can I bring these delicate issues back to my team and school community?
Newcomers + the urge to translate
As of the start of 2024, more than 2.5 million refugees have crossed the US-Mexico border seeking asylum in the US (NYTimes). If you came to my blog, I assume you have received some of these children as newcomers. Here’s another staggering figure: more than 75% of our nation’s bilingual learners are placed in English-only classrooms, including newcomers (National Center for Ed Statistics).
In all the work I’m doing in large urban districts receiving record-high levels of newcomers, I’ve noticed a troubling trend: teachers (most of whom are English-Monolinguals) are walking around glued to Google Translate, slowing down the pacing of their work day in an effort to repeat each instruction and task. In short, teachers are resorting to this acute pedagogical response, and it’s not working.
Here’s why.
The Monolingual Bias Strikes Again
See, the Monolingual Bias conditions teachers to assume that translating is the best option to help our newcomers. It’s rooted in the belief that a one-language solution will resolve any matter pertaining to a newcomer, and it goes something like this: unlock the language barrier, and boom- comprehension solved. Speak in Spanish to a Venezuelan refugee and you’ll have that kid onboarded to routines and systems in a jiffy. Control and safety restored.
The bias conditions us to see LANGUAGE as nothing more than a set of interlocking words that carry meaning (Valdés & Parra, 2018). With the touch of a translation button (is there nothing technology can’t fix?) teachers feel like they solved the acute problem.
Except that translating is a temporary fix for a much broader set of interlocking inequalities plaguing our bilinguals.
And here’s the biggest paradox of constant translations: When do the newcomers (and your language learners of different varying proficiencies) get opportunities to step into English words, phrases, experiences and learning activities if all they hear is middling translations into Spanish? From the learners’ perspective, English is not a language meant for them, and they may remain confused, unwilling to advocate for their English learning journey. And finally- these instructional moves are NOT TRANSLANGUAGING - because they aren’t done with intentionally or to strategically build out the learner’s language growth. I have an entire workshop about how to do translanguaging right, if you’d care to partner with me.
As consultant and Bilingual Ed advocate Beth Skelton put it:
“With the influx of secondary newcomers, I’m also noticing lots of translation, not translanguaging. It’s done with positive intent, but if newcomers spend an entire school day in an English-medium school hearing, reading, speaking only in Spanish, when and how should they also acquire English?”
So now what?
So now, you disrupt the Bias. You choose to endure the uncomfortable moments where the child looks up at you, confused, as you gently and thoughtfully invite them into English-medium instruction. And you give yourself A LOT OF GRACE because (a) no one trained you how to adequately support refugees and (b) you are using up a lot of emotional energy. It’s why our field is plagued by burnout (but that’s a topic for another day…)
Here are 3 simple alternatives to translating for your newcomers:
create language-scaffolded activities to socialize the newcomers as members of your classroom (click the button below👇 to get a ready-to-use resource)
establish a buddy system for each child, and possibly one for their parents
acknowledge that language and cultural integration take time, draft a mantra and turn it into a class slogan.
How do these things disrupt the bias? First, they de-center a one-language-as-solution mindset. Next, you prove to your students- as well as yourself- that metalinguistic approaches are your best bet for building long term pathways to academic success. And finally, you address the transformation to your class ecology by prioritizing your newcomer’s need for belonging and safety. Toni Morrison co-signs on this last point: “People won’t remember what you say, but how you made them feel.”
An image of poet and novelist, Toni Morrison, with the quote: “People won’t remember what you say, but how you made them feel.”
