Your child may translate in the beginning, but this process should disappear quickly. The act of translation will disappear as your child’s vocabulary increases. The only time your child will need to translate is when he s asked to do so or needs to explain something to someone who does not understand the language.
It is absolutely understandable that your child might show some signs of anxiety when learning a second language during the first few weeks or months of school. Children in a bilingual language program are being placed in a situation where they may have difficulty understanding what teachers tell them or may feel like they are not keeping up with the class. Children may need to use their native tongue to communicate, but the teachers will always try to link this communication back to the second language. Teachers use a variety of methods outside the language, such as using gestures to give clues as to their meaning in order to link the verbal communication with something the child already knows and understands. As a result, your child may sometimes feel confused in the classroom instruction or learning process. In addition, sometimes your child may not understand the reason why (s)he has to learn a second language. We have observed that parental support is extremely important in supporting and encouraging a child through this learning process.
What should I do? It is normal for children who are becoming bilingual to switch between languages and occasionally mix the two languages. This is known as code switching. This occurs naturally and depends on the audience and purpose of the communication. Code switching generally occurs when a child is trying to clarify a statement or resolve an ambiguity. It is also used to attract or retain the listener’s attention and to elaborate. Children sometimes mix two languages when attempting to communicate a word or an expression that is immediately accessible to him in one of the languages but not the other. Like monolingual children, bilingual children also play with their two languages by making words rhyme, inventing new words or using certain words in inappropriate contexts.
Code switching and language mixing are mostly temporary phenomena in the second language acquisition process. As children become more adept in their two languages, the perceived need or desire to combine them is greatly reduced.
Children understand that each language has its own vocabulary and syntax. They also understand that certain people with whom they come in contact do ot speak both of the languages that they speak. Consequently, they learn to use only one of their languages with them. Parents are encouraged to speak to their children in their native language and/or designated “family language,” so as to serve as an appropriate and correct language model.