Language brokering, acculturation, and empowerment: evidence from South Asian Canadian young adults

Abstract

The present study examined the practice of language brokering (LB) among South Asian Canadian college-age adults and how such practice relates to acculturation to mainstream and heritage cultures, as well as personal empowerment. One hundred and twenty-four young adults reported on three different indices of LB (brokering frequency, diversity of people, and diversity of items translated), as well as measures of acculturation to mainstream and heritage cultures, and personal empowerment. Whereas brokering frequency and number of people one brokers for were not related to acculturation, findings suggested that the wider the range of items and topics brokered, the stronger the reported acculturation to both mainstream and heritage cultures. Further, brokering for a more diverse pool of individuals was predictive of more individual empowerment, whereas brokering frequency and diversity of items translated were not related to empowerment. Findings point at the importance of going beyond brokering frequency to examine multiple indicators of brokering as they relate to acculturation and personal empowerment. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.