In the early 1980’s, my husband and I and our two small children lived in Germany for two years. Our daughter attended grade school there and was fluent in German while my own grasp of the language was rudimentary. I remember occasionally seeking my six year old daughter’s help with translation in dealing with workmen, shopkeepers and strangers on the street when my own vocabulary of German proved inadequate. It was amusing and slightly unnerving at the same time, to have a small child act as a conduit for communication between adults. Fortunately, our German friends and doctors spoke English and I did not require the intervention of my children in talking to them.
In many immigrant families, children are often the ones fluent in the local language and they act as a window to the world for the adults. In states with high immigrant populations, the use of children as medical interpreters is common. The adult language barrier has poignant and sometimes lethal consequences when sick parents or older family members must rely on the immature minds and faulty translations of their children for medical care and advice. Now the state of California may seek legislation banning the use of child interpreters in most hospitals and clinics. Exceptions will be permitted for emergencies. Many US hospitals provide translators for patients who speak no English. Members of large immigrant groups such as Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese speakers, can usually find interpreters in most medical facilities. But speakers of more uncommon languages will find it very difficult to talk to their doctors if their children are barred from speaking for them and no other translator is available.
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