Child Language Brokering Among Migrant/Refugee Communities in Türkiye

Öz

Children who most quickly assimilate the language and social and cultural norms of the host country in a family carry out interpreting tasks for their families in different contexts shortly after migration. In this regard, child interpreters, also referred to as child language brokers, play a role in facilitating communication at the language level and in fostering interaction between migrant/refugee and host communities. Child language brokering (CLB), a phenomenon usually studied in the context of immigrant/refugee communities, can be defined as a form of non-professional community interpreting. However, it has yet to be addressed as a research area within the field of translation studies in Türkiye. Although it has been examined from the perspectives of educational science and developmental psychology for many years in international literature, child language brokering is fundamentally an interpreting activity that awaits the attention of translation studies. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring the phenomenon of child language brokering, which has been addressed by various disciplines for years in countries with high levels of migration, in the context of migrant/refugee communities in Türkiye. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants aged 18-21 who migrated to Türkiye from different countries and engaged in language brokering activities for their families during their childhood. The interview findings, analysed through thematic analysis, shed light on the brokering settings in Türkiye where child language brokering is most needed, the concept of primary language brokering, contributions of language brokering, child language brokers’ feelings regarding their activities, and the responsibilities they undertake.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• child language brokering
• child language broker
• child interpreters
• migrant
• community interpreting
• translation

Türkiye’de Göçmen/Mülteci Topluluklarında Çocuk Dil Aracılığı

Öz

Yerleşilen ülkenin dilini ve sosyokültürel normlarını en hızlı özümseyen aile üyeleri olarak çocuklar, göçten sonra kısa sürede aileleri için farklı ortamlarda sözlü çeviri faaliyetlerini yürütmektedir. Bu açıdan, daha geniş bir ifadeyle çocuk dil aracıları olarak tanımlanan çocuk çevirmenler hem dilsel iletişimin sağlanmasında hem de göçmen/mülteci toplulukları ile ev sahibi toplum arasında etkileşim sağlanmasında rol oynarlar. Genellikle göçmen/mülteci topluluklar bağlamında incelenen bir olgu olarak çocuk dil aracılığı (ÇDA) profesyonel olmayan bir toplum çevirmenliği pratiği olarak tanımlanabilir. Buna rağmen, Türkiye’de çeviribilim alanında bir araştırma konusu olarak henüz ele alınmamıştır. Her ne kadar uluslararası alanyazında eğitimbilim ve gelişimsel psikoloji perspektiflerinden uzun yıllardır incelenmiş olsa da, çocuk dil aracılığı her şeyden önce bir çeviri faaliyetidir ve çeviribilimcilerin yaklaşımlarını beklemektedir. Temelde bu eksikliği gidermeyi hedefleyen bu çalışmanın amacı yoğun göç alan ülkelerde uzun yıllardır farklı disiplinler tarafından ele alınan çocuk dil aracılığı olgusunu Türkiye’de göçmen/mülteci topluluklar bağlamında incelemektedir. Bu doğrultuda, Türkiye’ye farklı ülkelerden göç etmiş, aileleri için çocukluğunda dil aracılığı faaliyetinde bulunmuş, 18-21 yaş aralığındaki altı katılımcı ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Tematik analiz yöntemiyle incelenen görüşme verileri, Türkiye’de çocuk dil aracılığına en çok ihtiyaç duyulan çeviri ortamları, asıl dil aracılığı kavramı, dil aracılığının katkıları, çocuk dil aracılarının aracılık faaliyetine ilişkin duyguları ve üstlendikleri sorumluluk konularına ışık tutmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• çocuk dil aracılığı
• çocuk dil aracıları
• çocuk çevirmenler
• göçmen
• toplum çevirmenliği
• çeviri

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