In every multilingual family, members speak different languages and bring a rich tapestry of cultures and traditions into the home.
However positive, enriching and exciting this sounds, we also face unique challenges related to what can be termed the “language divide.”
Beyond simply knowing two or more languages and dialects (or sign languages), being bilingual* offers a wide range of cognitive, cultural, and future benefits that make it a skill worth cultivating
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Being or becoming multilingual has numerous advantages, but it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Understanding and addressing these challenges is essential for successful language development and maintenance in multilingual families. Let’s look at some common challenges that arise in multilingual families and discuss strategies to overcome them. Language Dominance When […]
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I recently held a 3 days in-person training about “Language Consulting for Multilingual Families” for a team of experts from Iceland that supports newly arrived families and multilingual families in general. Iceland being a very language-friendly and welcoming country, the amazing support system for foreigners tends to create a unique situation where the local language […]
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Icelandic society is very welcoming towards immigrants. The government helps newcomers, providing translators and mediators to them in order to smoothly adapt to the new reality. English is widespread in the country and used as the primary means of communication between newcomers and locals.
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