Language Use in Chilren's Literature

In our last class we discussed the use of language within text for children, specifically the use of Spanish. My discussion group looked at numerous books that included the Spanish language and we could never seem to agree completely as to which books used the language authentically. The only time we came to an overall consensus was when the books wrote the entire text in both Spanish and English so bilingual readings could have the choice of the language they wished to read the book.

What our group talked about most was how to include only some Spanish vocabulary and do so authentically. To me it seemed as though it is unrealistic to have dialogue in which a character would say a word in Spanish and then immediately translate it. That is not the way people would really talk. However, a point was brought up that this method of including both languages could be helpful for both bilingual and monolingual readers. The words will be presented in both forms and the reader can make use of this in whatever way works best for him/her.

Another thing that our group noticed when reviewing the books was that many used the strategy of writing a phrase in Spanish immediately followed by the English translation, but the next time the phrase was used in the book, the translation would not be provided. We thought this was a good way to incorporate both languages. The book would not become redundant for either the bilingual or monolingual reader.

After our discussion, I still feel like I am unsure of the best way to include another language in an English text and do so authentically. I don't think there is only one right answer, but I am nervous that I will choose books for my classroom library that may not be of high quality due to a inauthentic portrayal of another language.