Segment 4 – Kids Growing up in a Multilingual World
“If you know two languages, the level of your intelligence is multiplied a hundredfold in other people’s eyes.” Bill Cosby, Actor.
- Madonna has two children Lourdes and Rocco. Both speak English and French some Spanish.
- Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith have a daughter Stella, who has grown up speaking English and Spanish.
- Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi have a son Jaden Gil and daughter Jaz Elle who are bilingual with German and English.
- Wesley Snipes and Nikki Parks have a daughter and a son, who are growing up speaking English and Korean.
Not a day goes by without another linguistic expert reporting new research about ...
The benefits or perils of being multilingual. Researchers spend thousands of hours and resources trying to unravel the mysteries of how the language center in the brain works.
When people meet my children, they are instantly impressed with their multilingual abilities. I have to admit, I am as proud as any mother would be when it comes to her own kids. There is indeed some compelling research that would make any parent of a multilingual child swell with pride. Recent research indicates that:
- Multilingual/Bilingual speakers are better at multi-tasking than monolinguals--people who speak only one language--in certain mental abilities, such as editing out irrelevant information and focusing on important information. These enhance multi-tasking skills are developed due to the brain’s continual and daily practice of switching between languages. [Judith Kroll, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Penn State]
- Multilingual/Bilingual children outperform monolinguals children in problem-solving, arithmetic and creative thinking. There is a marked difference in the level of detail and richness in description demonstrated by the vocabulary used by bilinguals. Multilingual children grow up knowing several ways to express the same thought or idea, and become really good at analyzing and adapting to a given situation. [Dr Fraser Lauchlan, University of Strathclyde’s School of Psychological Sciences & Health]
- Children who speak a second or third language may have an unexpected advantage later in life. Knowing and speaking many languages may protect the brain against the effects of aging. The constant switching of languages in the brain helps the brain to exercise and stay sharp warding off dementia. [Dr. Gitit Kavé, the Herczeg Institute on Aging at Tel Aviv University]
- Speaking multiple languages can influence children's emotional development. One language may be easier to express emotional thoughts. Whereas, another may be helpful at maintaining logical or analytical in a situation. Shifting from one language to another may help children to regulate their emotional response by using a less emotional, non-native language as a way to decrease a negative response. [Stephen Chen and Qing Zhou of the University of California, Berkeley and Morgan Kennedy of Bard College]
While these scientific suggestions sound appealing, I can add that there are also some very practical benefits for multilingual children (and their parents).
1. When two sets of grandparents, who speak different languages, get together, guess who gets to translate for the adults? This is not only cute, but very practical. Imagine you are 6 years old, and you are sharing the holidays with both sets of grandparents, who live abroad. They can’t really understand each other, or the local language, and your parents are out on a date night or something, so you get to step in and order the food at the restaurant and you get to buy the tickets and popcorn at the movie theater. Kind of cool for a 6 year old to have such power. Not so cool for the adults who need to be in control.
2. When mom’s wallet gets stolen, and she can’t speak the language, guess who gets to file the police report? Again, very practical…and personal. Last year, my wallet was stolen, while I tried to explain the situation to the Spanish police, I was still only on my second year of Spanish classes, and hence they didn’t understand me. Who did they ask to describe the robbery? You guessed it -- my 6 year old and my 3 year old.
3. Who does mom and dad ask to translate a cartoon when neither parents can follow the story because: a) It’s in a different language, b) The cartoon uses local childish idioms and expressions that only make sense if you are a kid, and c) The adult language school that the parents attended never taught the vocabulary of fairies or alien monsters or magical Japanese cats. Yes, even Bob Esponja requires translation in my home.
Why does being multilingual really matter?
Being multilingual makes you better at multi-tasking, a great problem solver, very creative, emotionally controlled, able to fight the effects of aging, and provides the capability of having great powers over adults at a young age.
Additionally, it puts you in the elite 2/3 percentage of the world’s population that also has these super human qualities.
So if you plan on joining Madonna’s kids’ playgroup or traveling, working, living and/or even simply talking to someone outside of your country, you would have a greater chance of understanding and being understood…and isn’t that really what we all want? To seek UNDERSTANDING!
… Stay tuned for the next Segment of HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life Series, where we’ll explore … How to Raise Multilingual Kids.
To receive the new Language Translations for Real Life Series go to HT Localization Blog and subscribe via RSS or email.
This article was written by Rachanee Thevenet, Co-Founder of HT Localization. Rachanee is an Asian-American expat living in Spain with her family. She loves all things international including food, art, literature, culture, languages and people. While not 100% fluent in the multiple languages her kids speak, she can at least understand enough so that the kids can’t pull the wool over her eyes – yet.
HT Localization, LLC. is a worldwide translation & localization agency providing a full range of professional language translation services, including social media localization, marketing translations, website translations, software localization, eLearning materials, documentation translations, etc. With locations in the US, Spain, Zambia & Thailand, and coverage across all languages and most industries, HT Localization is well positioned to provide around the globe services for all translation needs.
- Back to Blog List for more Language Translations Articles
- Check out Language Fun Facts
- Discover our International Translation Agency and Localization Services
If you like this segment please share now! Thanks