Spanish is the only language Dallas Pena knows. Whenever someone calls speaking English, she hands the phone to her daughter Jessica. At age 11, Jessica is the translator for her family.

"Sometimes I get nervous," Jessica says. "Because I don't understand some words they're trying to tell (my father), and I get nervous because he is counting on me."

It has forced Jessica, and other children of immigrants like her, to grow up fast. They're still kids, but at the same time, they have to handle complicated adult issues as translators for their families. Issues like employment, insurance and even taxes.

"What happens to a child in a non-English speaking family," says psychologist Dr. Marsha Sauls, " is the child becomes a door or window to society for that family. Instead of being just a child, that child becomes a special kind of adult."

Experts say other families, and friends of 'immigrant children,' need to understand the crucial role they play, and the grownup responsibilities they have.

Jessica's father says what she does as translator is good. Translating for him, Jessica says, "He feels my help. He feels I am helping the family….the work that I do helps us to be closer together."

While overall immigration rates have decreased somewhat over the past few years, the United States continues to accept a significant number of immigrants from non-English speaking countries every year. One of the interesting by-products of the continued influx of immigrant families is the associated growth in the number of families where children may be the only English-speaking members of the family. As a logical result of events beyond their control, English-speaking children of foreign-born families may find themselves placed in a very difficult position. According to Dr. Marsha Sauls, a family psychologist, "what happens is that the child becomes the door or window to society for that family. The child's place in that family changes; instead of being just a child, that child becomes a special kind of an adult, with a tremendous amount of responsibility for the everyday functioning of the family." These responsibilities may include;

• completing paperwork associated with establishing bank accounts, school enrollment, or even residency applications
• missing school to accompany parents and siblings on trips to the doctor and/or the pharmacy in times of family illness
• assisting the parents in dealing with government officials, the legal system and even in filling out income tax forms

As Dr. Sauls points out, the burden of increased responsibility can potentially cause a number of problems for these children. The problems can include:

Social isolation - both at school and at home. At school, these children may be excluded or ridiculed for speaking or looking differently from other children. When they return home, they return to a world that is that is non-English speaking, and often their parents may not understand their struggles in the English-speaking environment

Role confusion - as a result of their role as the family's chief bridge to the outside world, these children assume a very different position within the family hierarchy. In some respects, they are thrust into the role of parent to their parents. However, their parents are still the nominal heads of the family. This situational conflict can sometimes cause confusion for the child, as he or she tries to figure out when to assume the role of the responsible adult versus when it is safe to become the child. Dr. Sauls points out that "sometimes those children need help in understanding that those two roles are different, but both of them are important."

Embarrassment - immigrants to the U.S., particularly those in the first generation for a particular family, may find it difficult to find employment regardless of the qualifications and positions they may have held in their country of origin. The results this situation can be that the parents have to take more menial jobs in this country than in their previous live, irrespective of their professional training and formal social status. With so much of a child's self esteem in the United States based upon their sense of place and importance in the community, the loss of face and position experienced by the immigrant families can cause these children a great deal of emotional discomfort.

Cultural confusion - the culture and traditions of the country they came from are often very different from that of the U. S. Immigrant children are sometimes faced with the problem of trying to effectively reconcile two cultures that may be in significant conflict. The children may feel that they are faced with an "either - or" decision. Do they continue the old ways and face ostracism and ridicule form their peers? Or do they adopt the new ways and risk alienating their parents? The conflict is difficult for many adults to successfully resolve; for some immigrant children, the resolution can be even more difficult to achieve.

For many immigrant children, the consequences of serving as a bridge between "the old world" and "the new world" for their parents, in combination with all of the additional social and familial factors faced in school and at home, can be a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety.

As adults, all of us who interact with immigrant children whose parents are non-English speakers need to recognize that these children are living in two worlds: the world outside their home with all of the daily experiences that characterize living in American society; and the world inside the home, likely based on customs and traditions of the country from where the family immigrated.

Dr. Rex Forehand, Director of The Institute for Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia, suggests the following ways that parents and teachers who come in contact with these children can help to reduce some of the stress and anxiety in their lives:

1. Try to make the children feel accepted. For example, encourage the immigrant child to share some of the history and customs of his or her country of origin with other children, whether they are in a school setting or visiting in another child's home. This can help other children to better understand the newcomer's background and actions.
2. Make special efforts to be positive and encouraging with these children. Praise them for the work they do when they act as translators and interpreters for their families. This is an extremely important responsibility, one that needs to be acknowledged and reinforced by those who come in contact with these children.
3. Pair the immigrant child up with other children so that they can learn from each other and potentially develop friendships and mutually affirming relationships.
4. Help the immigrant child to develop problem-solving skills. For older children this consists of being able to identify problems they face, generate a list of possible solutions, evaluate the solutions, choose what they think is the best solution, implement the solution and evaluate the results. These skills, which are invaluable for all children, can be of extreme importance in helping immigrant children balance "the old world" and "the new world."
5. Be accepting of the child and his or her cultural differences and family customs. These can be strengths as they bring diversity and new learning opportunities for other children.

Dr. Marsha Sauls, Licensed Psychologist and Family Therapist
Dr. Rex Forehand, Director of The Institute for Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia