Frequency of language brokering experience as a source of difference in bilinguals’ emotion judgments across languages

Aims and Objectives: Bilinguals often perceive one language as more emotionally resonant than the other. Our study examined whether the emotional resonance of their heritage language is enhanced in bilingual immigrants who engage in a high degree of language brokering (early informal translation on behalf of family members) as compared to those who do not engage in frequent brokering. Method: One hundred ten US-based Latine Spanish-English proficient bilingual adults rated brief vignettes depicting neutral, positive or negative emotion-laden situations in each language on valence and intensity. Participants were categorized into high ( n = 46) or low brokering groups ( n = 64) based on differences in their self-reported frequency of brokering on a modified Language Brokering Scale (LBS). Analysis: For each of the three vignette types—positive, negative, and neutral, a 2 (Group) × 2 (Presentation Language) mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the valence and intensity of emotion ratings. Findings: For vignettes depicting positive emotion, individuals with high brokering experience gave higher pleasantness ratings when the vignettes were presented in Spanish than in English, and gave lower pleasantness ratings in English as compared to low-frequency brokers. Experience: No group or language differences were found for valence judgments for negative or neutral vignettes. There were no group or language differences in intensity ratings. Originality: Language brokering experience as a source of variability in emotional experience among bilinguals is not well documented; specifically, how these bilinguals experience emotional vignettes has not been previously studied. Significance: The findings contribute to the literature on the experience of emotions across languages among bilinguals who engaged in more frequent informal translation. This supports a first-language emotional resonance effect associated with early translation (or brokering) experience.