I am woken up by my mother an hour before my alarm starts doing its job. Today, she tells me I am not going to school, saying I have to go somewhere with her.
The rest of my siblings are off to school while I am off somewhere with my mother in the passenger seat. We arrive at the Job Center in Wausau.
My mother takes a seat in front of the receptionist. She speaks in Hmong, and after, she looks to me. It takes a few moments for me to understand what she wants me to do. I quickly arrange each word in my head, then translate it back to the waiting receptionist in English. She smiles, and we go back and forth.
It is something about my parents' job openings and taxes. I do not understand the receptionist's jargon, but I do my job and translate. Sometimes, I stop and ask for a clarification on what a word means, such as gross incomes or exemptions, but, otherwise, I do not let my mind wander.
The next week, I am also pulled out of bed early morning to go to the Walk-In.
It is the same process— my mom speaks in Hmong, I translate, and it goes back and forth.
We move to the examination room now, and the doctor is prescribing medication for my mother. Back in the car, I have to tell her what the doctor's directions were. I read the information about the medicine again and told her which pills to take and at what time they need to be taken. I try to remember some words the doctors told my mom, even if they are overwhelming. Sometimes, it hurts to see my mother hurt and ache, but I have to be there to translate for her.
Was this normal for a sixth grader? I started translating when I was nine. My translations from Hmong to English would grow from books and advertisements to assist my mother to the doctor, dentist, the bank, and shopping trips with my grandmother as I grew more fluent. At times, I had to rifle through and fill out business letters and application forms for my parents. As often as I would have to translate, it was nerve-wracking to face the world of business mail, hospitals, and adults. I was telling them what to do step by step and, at times, I went along to the places they needed to go.
I am not alone in this.
According to Gallup News, the Census estimates that 18 percent of U.S. residents usually speak a language other than English at home, and eight percent speak English less than 'very well'.
"Like millions of young children in immigrant families, children are much more than a translator for first-generation parents who speak little English," writes Chris Hedges in the New York Times. "They interpret American culture, customs and more for their parents, at times gently correcting and advising them. Parents can begin to resent the power the child assumes. The parent wants to be a parent and the child wants to be a child, but because of their circumstances, they cannot. With all that pressure it is hard for the child to function academically."
When I received homework that included parent involvement, they could not comprehend it because it was not in our Hmong language. I would have to do it by myself or translate it for parents and then write their response down in English.
Sometimes, a gap is created between the importance of schooling and education for bilingual children. The amount of English comprehension a child knows at a young age, compared to their parents, explains how that child is not challenged enough at home by their parents. They excel English literacy at home, but at school, some are challenged with the content laid before them.
As the oldest child in my family, my parents relied on me more than my younger siblings. I was handed the unofficial role in my family as the translator. It was frustrating at times because I would want to hang out with my friends, but at the same time, my parents needed me to help them.
Those with non-English speaking parents sacrifice our youth to go with our parents to places that can take up 30 minutes to an hour or more. We go to the post office, advise them on paying bills, school conferences, and making phone calls for insurance, just to mention a few.
But, as we see our parents struggle in need of help, we are inspired to strive to do well in our academic success.
