The Social Worker as Language Worker in a Multilingual World: Educating for Language Competence

ABSTRACT

Social work is language work, and yet the profession has operated without a fully critical theory of language difference. Rather, a model of language as merely a neutral conduit of communication has prevailed, with the result that language issues have been addressed mostly as problems of translation. But a more rigorous approach to language as an active social practice points toward a reconceptualization of research, practice, and education. An autoethnography explores issues of language identity and power differentials implicit in the choice of language, showing that even bilingual social workers face dilemmas in how to approach client language issues. In social work education, language competence is not mere proficiency in speaking but rather, even for monolinguals, the ability to operate in a critical third place between one’s own linguistic frame and that of a client. Learning objectives are proposed for social work education in language issues: address critical theories of language to help students move toward a resource model of language difference; help students envision how to apply these theories in practical situations; and help all students develop a conscious and critical awareness of their own language identity and how it may affect their education and their future practice.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jonathan Hall

Jonathan Hall is professor of English at York College, City University of New York, and Sonia Valdiviezo is a 2015 graduate of the Columbia University School of Social Work currently practicing as a clinical social worker at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center.