Lost in Translation: Analysis of Oral and Written Narratives of Linguistic-Minority Indigenous Students

• In Event: 63.084 - MTCC Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 63.084-4 - Looking Beyond the Surface

Abstract

The children of the Indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, are among the most illiterate in the country and at highest risk of dropping out from schools. In this study, students tell folk tales they have collected from grandparents in L1 and submit in written format in L2. I analyze oral and written narratives presented by the same students in two different languages and explore what is lost or reduced in translation. Findings suggest that indigenous students possess strong oral narrative skills in their native language, and yet display limited writing skills in L2, the sole official language. It highlights the potential benefit of learning in the language students speak at home for reducing dropout among linguistic minority students.

Author

• Maung T Nyeu, Harvard University