‘ Tiny Translators ’: child language brokering in primary schools in Northern Ireland

This study examines Child Language Brokering (CLB) in four Northern Ireland primary schools, where multilingual pupils frequently act as ‘tiny translators’ between home and school. Despite access to funded interpreting services, teachers and parents reported that language barriers persist, leading children to interpret routinely in both formal and informal situations. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with 26 pupils, 16 parents and nine teachers, the study highlights the complexity of CLB, identifying it as a valued resource, a source of tension, but most significantly, as a collaborative translanguaging practice. Pupils often enjoyed helping peers and felt ‘important’, yet some were ‘fed up’ with frequent requests. Parents and teachers expressed concerns about children being exposed to adult matters and lacking vocabulary in their home language to translate accurately, as well as role reversal. Findings highlight that brokering is collaborative and shaped by contextual supports, such as visuals, teacher scaffolding, and sibling assistance. Conceptualised through a translanguaging and sociocultural lens, CLB emerges as a dynamic meaning-making practice that empowers pupils while also raising some ethical and emotional considerations.