Bilingual Babycare

Rating:
Summary: A very handy learning tool...
Review: After reading the negative reviews below I was kind of turned off, but I ended up getting the book anyway since my family was hosting a Spanish aupair for the summer and since my Spanish is pretty aweful, I thought it might come in handy.

To be honest, I don't understand what the big deal is that the other reviewers were ranting about. It may be that the publisher re-released the title because it isn't called "Nanny Translator" anymore. The version I got is called "Bilingual Babycare - English/Spanish"

I find the book neither offensive nor racist. I guess if you have issues with hiring a Spanish-speaking nanny or child care provider, then this book isn't for you. In my case it simply is a reality that I don't speak Spanish well enough to feel confident that I'm communicating properly all the time. The book has great bilingual emergency contact forms and allergy forms in the front that gave me peace of mind that there wouldn't be any mixups about how to get a hold of my husband or myself in case of an emergency.

The book is split up into two parts - the first is English to Spanish and the second is Spanish to English. The English to Spanish tries to cover everything from hiring a babysitter (not necessary inour case) to clothing, bathing, dressing, playing, health and safety. The Spanish to English section covers the same issues but from the vantage point of the child care provider.

All in all I think it's a great and handy learning tool. I have definitely learned a bunch of new words and phrases that I wouldn't have found in a regular English-Spanish phrase book (things like diaper rash, play groups, playgroups,etc.). It's a neat idea and if you are in (or are thinking about creating) a bilingual English/Spanish home environment I strongly recommend getting this book...

Rating:
Summary: Covers too little, offensively titled
Review: I found the title offensive, but my interest was piqued. This may be a useful guide for English-speaking parents who have hired primarily Spanish-speaking caretakers for their young children, but it doesn't cover the necessary vocabulary to "raise your children in a bilingual household" at all. Get a regular Spanish/English dictionary and be able to talk about more than your children's diapers. Some recognition of the Spanish-speaking nanny's situation might have been nice or a discussion of the politics surrounding the issue--not a lot, but I think it would have improved the book.

Rating:
Summary: carrots, peas and potty training
Review: the NANNY translator?
are you kidding?

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful for working with your Spanish speaking nanny
Review: We have been very pleased with this book. Both our childcare provider and I have been able to use it interchangeably on the occassons when we are having trouble understanding each other, and I found it very reassuring to know that we were on the same page with regard to health and safety issues. And though you could just get a spanish/english dictionary, I found the the nanny translator provided most all of the childcare phrases I could possibly need in one place, making it considerably easier than a simple dictionary.


Rating:
Summary: How to keep your help in line and feel good about it
Review: When the Jesuits helped colonize
the new world, including all of California,
their manuals for each other on how to speak
to the natives included words and concepts
like God, Love and Respect, among other things.

It seems like the new texts for speaking with the
natives are now much simpler, and narrower in range.
Now all they need to hear from us are words like Scrub,
Supermarket, Tea, and Crumpets.

It might be a good thing to think of the Spanish speakers
with whom upper crust wives deal with as more than
just Help. Maybe they too are interested, and capable
of talking with you about their aspirations, or their feelings, or
Telemundo, or their own nannies.

Let us not restrict a discourse that is already
diseased by prejudice, fear, and mistrust. This book
may help some of the monolinguist ladies who lunch
survive their domestic trials and tribulations, but it's
sending a very clear, and very wrong message to
society. I don't have to spell it out for you, do I? "Nanny
Translator" will turn you a quick buck, but in exchange, it will
tell people: "You don't have to really interact with these
'people' on a human level. Better just to tell them in
their own tongue how they should do this, or do that."

Last time I checked "limpio, sucio, o caliente" were
all included in my Spanish-English pocket dictionary,
along with every other "important" survival word.

"Una cerveza por favor!" Yes, in the true
spirit of Tijuana, your book will help many people
feel good about themselves. And it will also help
keep the true spirit of integration and acceptance
at a safe distance.

Rating:
Summary: carrots, peas and potty training
Review: While wandering through the bookstore, past the puzzle sets and agendas, by the stationary and card sets, was the section with novelty titles like "Everything You Need To Know By Age 30" and "The Anti-bride's Wedding Planning Guide." Tucked away in there was something called "The Nanny Translator."

The what? Something that billed itself as a helpful little Spanish-English dictionary replete with words like detergent, potty training and lima beans. Conspicously absent were things like respect and immigration-- as in, "If you don't
respect me, I will report you to immigration!"

This is a guide for people who know no Spanish, and whose only interest in learning the language is to instruct the maid as to the proper way to clean the toilet.

It is undoubtedly important to clearly and effectively communicate with anyone who is caring for your children-- though why you would put them in the care of someone who doesn't undertsand you and you don't understand is totally beyond me. This book, however, was not about communication. Instead, it conveyed and reinforced useless stereotypes. It seemed to capture the idea that there are Hispanics in this country only to serve, and that your communication with them should be limited to their role as servants. That they are uneducated and fit for only low-skill, low wage jobs, etc.

Not that your neighbors, classmates, lawyers and the rest, might actually be Hispanic too.

If you want to create a bilingual household, the Nanny Translator is a useless place to start.