broken communi how language barriers affect Asian American family relationships BY MAYA PUNJWANI
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ing Yang, a 21-year-old engineering major at the University of Florida, has been a translator for her Cantonese-speaking mom for nine years. When Yang was just 13 years old, she would translate for her mom so her family could get food stamps. Yang described her experience translating as “always having to be on a front line defense.” Applications and paperwork can often be stressful, but even more so if they are not in your native language. Even simple tasks can be daunting when there’s a language barrier. “I had to face these government workers that were implicitly taunting and interrogating us [about whether we needed money or not],” Yang said. “My mom was getting really frustrated and asked why they were making it so hard for us to get help. I think I would be fine translating during a situation like that now, but at that young age, I felt very lonely, and it was tough because I thought nobody understood.” Yang now struggles to communicate with her mom because she is less exposed to the Chinese language in college than she was at home. She struggles to explain certain concepts to her mom, such as character phrases that are important in Chinese culture. Despite Yang’s attempts to convince her mom to take English classes, her mom says it’s too late for her to learn at the age of 53. According to a study done by the White House regarding critical issues facing Asian Americans, about one out of four APIA students have limited English speaking skills or live in a linguistically isolated household with parents who have limited English proficiency. Many Asian American families expect their children to be close to their extended families, but it can be difficult to do so because of the language barrier. Sreya Nalluri, an Indian American 16-year-old high school junior from The Woodlands, Texas, said her conversations with her grandparents are very limited, and she can only