Question about OPOL approach and reading to children

[MrsHuxtable]

I'm pregnant with my first. We live in the UK. The plan is for me to exclusively speak German to DC, while DH will speak English.

Now the time will come when we start reading to the baby. We'll obviously have books in English and in German. Will I only be able to read the German books? What if DH is not at home and DC wants a book in English read to her? Do I refuse? Do I read it and speak English to her for the duration of the book?

How do other people handle this?

We're in the same situation, only a few years ahead . Whilst I try to speak to dd and ds mainly in German, I read to them in whatever language the book is (English books as part of school reading scheme, French books as part of French lessons and German books for fun or Saturday School) - but even then we discuss the book in German. Hope that makes sense. But don't worry too much now, the main thing is that whatever approach you take, it feels natural to you.

Although both DH and I speak Welsh exclusively to DD and DS, many of our families are in OPOL situations with no adverse effects on their children's Welsh or English. Much advice on this website on OPOL and bilingualism generally:
www.twfcymru.com/English/bilingualism/Pages/SpeakingWelshandEnghome.aspx
I guess it's relevant whatever the language. Good luck, as the website says, "two languages from day 1" is a great advantage to children.

In the first three years we only read in German to DD (now 4.5). Even English books were translated.

We changed it when DD got older and was encouraged by her pre-school to bring in books for the daily story time. As the stories got longer we couldn't easily translate anymore.

With school now we obvious read her books in English. And she gets a weekly stack from the library.

We still try to have more German than English books at home and so far stick to English with simple books in her reading capabilities and long stories with chapters in German.

DS is 2, about 6 months ago he started shutting the book if I read it in the "wrong" language (I speak to him in the minority language, but English is our home-language...) so now if I'm reading to him I translate so that I read to him in the "proper" language. Can see how that might get tiring once the stories get more complicated, but hopefully by then, he'll let me read in English again. :) He know which books DH can read to him.

It depends how strict you want to be with the OPOL. Not all families use it, and other methods work well too.

I am British, DH German. Home language always been German, when we lived in Germany the DC answered in German but since moving to Switzerland where they have more English friends, they answer in English.

I speak mainly English with them but also slip some German in too. DH speaks mainly German but will talk to them in English when friends are around.

It has worked well for us, they are very good at switching languages between German, French and English.

As to the reading: we always read in the language in which the book is written. Recently DS brought a French book and I started reading. DD said, in a slightly patronising tone, "Shall I read it, Mummy. It might be easier for DS to understand".

I only ever read to my children (4 and 1) in French. If they want an English book I will either refuse; translate on the spot (i.e. "read" it in French); claim it's too difficult for me and I don't understand; or offer the official French translation (we have a few books in both languages.) It's never been a major problem, as long as you have a variety of interesting books in both languages.

Incidentally, whatever you decide, do read to him/her from the word go - kids love books!

MIFLAW, what will you do when you dd brings a school reading book (in English) ? Just wondering because we're in a similar position but I can imagine a few instances where one might have to read in English.

We're an OPOL family. I speak French to DS (minority language) and DH speaks English.
We have books both in English and French but I 'read' him the story in French even when the book is in English because I can't speak to him in English! It's so un-natural. DS is 21 months.

I do pretty much what all the other posters say.

Up til now I have just simultaneously translated any books from the library which were in French (I am English, living in France, French DH) and we have about 1/4 French Books and 3/4 English books so most times we just choose an English one.

Occasionally recently I have had to read French stuff with DS1 who has learnt to read in French and was doing his homework.

I think it's probably in the early years that it's most important to keep up the OPOL thing - once it's fully established it seems not to matter too much if I have to say something to the DS in French in front of their friends - in the past I used to say it both in English and French.

I'm Swiss-German, DH is English - I speak German with DS (6 months), but read the books in the language they are written in because I'm too lazy to translate on the spot . I also think do whatever feels right for you, your children won't mind!

Up to you how strict you want to be. I did not translate because I have a thing about respecting the author's words- and some of the great children's books really do lose in translation. Also, dh is really awful at reading aloud and can't sing, so I felt unless I did it nobody would introduce them to the wonderful wealth of English children's literature and nursery rhymes.

The important thing imo is that you get enough exposure in of both languages; not exactly how you manage that.

Good point, Cory.

How on earth do you translate the Gruffallo? Or any of the Julia Donaldson books?

I am very fluent in German though, so that makes a difference. If I were less so then I would feel strange speaking to the DC in German.

I would agree with jamais: it's most important in the early years to keep as strictly as poss to OPOL (if that's what you're doing) - later on, as kids get to school and have more friends that only speak one of the languages you really have to be flexible anyway.
So for the first 3-4 years I read exclusively in English (my language) - in fact the majority of our books were in English. The childminder/DH read in Polish (majority language - we are in PL). The odd one I would translate (but not classics/ones where text was rhyming etc) but mostly we have a big enough selection that I didn't have to. Now I will read both, and for school I actually have to, as DH is rarely around early enough to be of any use for homework, readers etc., but we discuss in English.

Am expecting DD3 in a coupleof months and am v. excited about the reading aloud potential this will bring for DDs 1 and 2 (aged 8 and 6) - if they have a purpose in reading aloud rather than just for homework or because mummy says they have to practise their English reading I'm hoping they'll come on in leaps and bounds :)

@MmeLindor: this is where we stopped. We have the Gruffalo in German, not a bad translation but other are a no-go. Her work should only read in English.

These little board books with one sentence and no rhyme, they work. But everything else is not possible.

Funnnily enough, it was the Gruffalo that came to my mind too.

And Astrid Lindgren's prose for the Swedish side.

Though now that they are growing up, it is more a question of Shakespeare monologues. Again, dh is pretty clueless among the pentametres; if dd ever does realise her dream of getting into drama school it will be through my coaching, not his.

Not everyone sticks strictly to OPOL.

We aren't very strict, but at the moment I need them to hear as much German as possible as we don't have any other input of German. Aside from TV, and there is only so much that they can learn from badly dubbed US shows.

I think the most important thing is being in tune with the amount of exposure and notice when they are not getting enough of one language.

Yes cory I think you're right.
The only problem I've found with this approach is that if I let the English slide too much (and it can happen if we've got people staying/a week where there's a lot of friends over etc) then DD2 gets all shirty about it when I start to "clamp down" again (I'm not Robocop mum, honest, but YKWIM ). But life gets in the way of the ideal balance - and life is more important TBH so we just do what we can...

PS My DD1 (8) is learning her times tables in both languages ATM

Just seen that I was asked a question which I hae failed to answer.

Re school reading books - I wouldn't really count that as "reading" in some ways. It's about decoding, rather than enjoyment of a shared language and culture. So I expect I will listen to my child read it as far as possible; help out wherever I can; and then discuss what's going on in French.

If the book is more complicated and the issue is actually enjoying the story and fostering a love of reading, then I don't know; but then I confess I don't really "get" why schools send home that sort of book anyway (okay, I do - some families might read "homework" books more readily than they would read for pleasure - but that's not us.)

Her French Saturday school actually does send books home. They're a bit simpler than what we read normally, but we do read them once or twice together, normally on the Saturday afternoon, then I'll read it again through the week if she likes it or, more likely, it just goes back next Saturday. I do all this reading; her mum doesn't attempt to read those books to her, in either English translation or French original.

Or, of course, she can read schoolbooks with her mother and I can focus more on maths (which her mum is rubbish at) and, the rest of the time, we can both read to her for pleasure.

I'll have to play it by ear when it comes up - tricky one.

Depends on the age ime.

Dd is doing GCSEs in English lit and drama, so naturally she gets books sent home that involve a bit more than mere decoding- and a helpful parent can make a huge difference to a child's understanding of a novel or the interpretation of a part.

Even in primary school, it wasn't very long before they got to read beyond the mere decoding stage, at least dd who was a voracious reader and in top set.

Though I don't think I have ever read anything, not even a Biff, Chips and Kipper book, without also seeing it as a reading experience.

Yes, I can see that - but, with (for example) shakespeare, then what is the need for the parent to read it aloud rather than just comment on the issues?

I mean, I am a (bilingual) native English speaker and studied both Shakespeare and Chaucer at school without a scrap of help at home - what possible help could I have had? My mother understood it much less than I did, she's just not "into" that sort of stuff.

So, yes, I completely agree that a parent can (and, if possbile, SHOULD) help with interpretation - but I don't see why that needs to be in the same language as the text most of the time.

But actually reading the text out in the original? I see far fewer situations where I would consider doing that, even without the language issues.

Because she is learning parts and needs someone to read scenes against. I make a wonderfully romantic Romeo, I do. Though my greatest success to date is possibly as the raven in Macbeth (kaRR, kaRR).

She can't gain a GCSE in drama simply by discussing the contents, let alone discussing them in another language; part of the exam is a practical.

And even in English and history I found as a teen that I needed to put in quite a bit of work to acquire a new vocabulary when switching from Swedish to English. Also, there seems to be more of an emphasis on oral representation in the GCSE modules these days, so any help I can give her with reading aloud etc is useful.

We may just be talking at cross purposes - I wouldn't consider helping my daughter to learn a part to be "speaking" English to her (though she might find it weird - she laughed in my face when I tried to straighten out her Away In A Manger lyrics because she found it so odd to hear me using English to her!) So, yes, in your shoes, I can see myself using English without it feeling like we are using English together; more just using English in front of each other, IYSWIM. Also, for me, GCSE is a long way off ...

But the original point seemed to be much more about what I am describing, i.e. when a child has a story book to read in the other language, do you read it with them in that language? I still don't know, but I'm guessing for me it's largely going to be "no".