Translating for mum and dad

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2019

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Across the UK, in supermarkets, hospitals, council houses and solicitors’ offices, children and young people are doing vital unpaid work: interpreting for their parents. Psychologist and former child migrant Humera Iqbal takes us inside the lives of Britain’s young translators as they try to make the most of their childhood and teenage years while shouldering adult responsibilities – from dealing with the landlord to taking mum for a smear test.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the BBC World Service.
0:03.0	This is excut You're excusing Bébéseer,
0:06.0	World War.
0:07.0	This is a program all about young interpreters.
0:10.0	This is a program
0:12.0	about hovenes interpreters. This is a program called, Transl
0:15.0	from Mom and Dad.
0:18.0	Seyama,
0:20.0	Traducir for the Mama and the Papa.
0:22.0	My name is Marianne, I'm 13 years old. I came to England four years ago when I was nine and I
0:29.4	translate for my mom and my dad from Spanish to English. And my name is Dr.
0:35.2	Hemera Iqbal. My research at University College London is all about
0:39.9	migrant kids like Marianne who do vital unpaid translating work for their families.
0:45.0	This is because they're often able to pick up English more quickly than their parents.
0:50.0	There are thousands of children like her in the UK, translating in crucial places like at the doctor are in banks,
0:57.0	but we just don't notice them. They are invisible doing adult tasks and navigating the lives of their families.
1:03.2	It really does create a role reversal in the parent-child dynamic.
1:07.1	Join me as we enter their world following them in their extraordinary lives.
1:19.0	My mom has to go translate. She's got a dictionary as well.
1:22.0	You have a doctor of Google.
1:25.0	And you're application.
1:26.0	Marion's mom's taking English classes
	...

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