There are families in the Netherlands in which parents cannot communicate with their children because they do not share a common language. The parents speak little or no Dutch, while the children do not speak their parents’ language. I came across this problem during conversations with teachers as part of my Vidi research. I was told about a family, for example, in which the mother had to talk to her children via Google Translate. Another mother could not speak to her youngest children directly, but only through her older children who did speak their mother’s language. Thanks to the Impact Explorer grant, I will collaborate with two “impact partners” – de Academische Werkplaats Jeugd and Gezondheid (collaboration between Amsterdam UMC and eight preventive Youth Health Care organization) and the Stichting Meertalige Logopedie Nederland. One plan we are exploring is whether we can provide information to parents via health clinics and speech therapists, using easily accessible information in different languages and with the help of “cultural brokers”. Hopefully, more and more parents will then realize how important it is to pass on their language to their children.
Learn more about the project on https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/two-grants-awarded-for-impact-explorer-2025-call