Children give voice to immigrant parents

For immigrant families, the traditional roles of parents and children often flip, with children serving as guides to a foreign culture and language. They accompany parents to the doctor to describe a sickness or to the bank to fill out mortgage applications.

Critics long have said it's dangerous and unfair to lay the burdens of adulthood on children, but a growing body of research argues these young interpreters demonstrate memory and analytical abilities similar to those of students seen as gifted.

"You're challenged to balance out between two languages, back and forth," said Kevin Dao, 15, a Vietnamese speaker who has translated everything from prescriptions to Social Security documents for his mother. "It definitely makes you smarter."

Researchers say the talents of "language brokers" should not be measured in typical ways and extend beyond linguistic gifts. They show sophisticated social skills by reacting to social cues, assessing whether an audience understands what's being said and adjusting the message as necessary.

"Young interpreters . . . show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment," said Guadalupe Valdes, a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Stanford University who has conducted several studies on the issue.

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