The research basis for the Aquí Press decision to present bilingual text in parallel, with equal weight in both languages, across the Entre Páginas guide series.
Should the bilingual text in the Entre Páginas guides be written in one language and translated into the other, or should both languages be presented in parallel, with equal weight given to each?
The answer grounded in the research: a genuine parallel bilingual format is not only defensible but more pedagogically sound than translation in either direction. Neither language should feel derivative.
The foundational framework is Cummins's linguistic interdependence hypothesis, which holds that a student's skills in their first language play a crucial role in shaping L2 development. Bilingual students actively draw on the linguistic and cognitive resources they developed in L1 when reading in L2; cross-language transfer is particularly relevant for typologically similar pairs like Spanish and English.
"Research has shown that bilingualism influences multiple aspects of reading, primarily due to the shared underlying proficiency between the two languages. Bilingual children frequently draw on the linguistic and cognitive resources they have developed in their L1 when reading in their L2."
Huang et al., 2022, citing Cummins
This means that for a Spanish-dominant newcomer reading in English, the Spanish text is not a crutch; it is the cognitive scaffold that makes the English accessible. Removing it would increase cognitive load without pedagogical benefit.
The research distinguishes between single-language translation (one primary text, one derivative) and genuinely parallel bilingual text. Translation in one direction always produces a secondary text; secondary texts carry less cognitive weight for the reader.
"A seventh-grade English learner was having difficulty reading a textbook in English because she was juggling language and content comprehension simultaneously. Having the single-language translation allowed her to focus on content understanding in her home language and English vocabulary acquisition with the original version."
García, 2020
The design goal for Entre Páginas is that neither version should feel like the derivative. A student reading in Spanish should feel like they are reading the guide, not consulting a translation of it.
A central design principle of Aquí Press is home readability without teacher mediation. The bilingual format supports this directly:
"Bilingual texts can help learners become successful independent readers by overcoming the lexical barrier they might encounter. If students lack the knowledge of a lexical item, they can turn to the L1 text to figure it out independently."
Butzkamm & Caldwell, 2009
The operative word is independently. The guides are designed for a student on a couch, not a student in a classroom with a teacher available. The bilingual format makes that possible.
The research framework of translanguaging (the use of a learner's full linguistic repertoire) in processing a text, supports having both languages do cognitive work simultaneously. This is not code-switching (alternating between separate systems) but the natural operation of a bilingual mind engaging with content:
"Translanguaging can be used as a scaffold in L1 to clarify or solidify a concept... Knowledge is not language-bound; learners should be allowed to use the language they know best to access new content."
Cummins, 2000
A parallel bilingual format, where the Spanish and English texts carry equal weight rather than one being a translation of the other, creates exactly the kind of simultaneous bilingual engagement the research supports.
Newcomers are successive bilinguals: they acquired Spanish first and are now developing English. The research on how successive bilinguals engage with bilingual texts has a specific implication for Aquí Press's format:
"For successive bilinguals, it is helpful to first explain or read the text in their more dominant language to ensure comprehension. Afterward, read the same section in the weaker language, focusing on key vocabulary or phrases."
This is an argument for the Spanish feeling like the anchor, not a supplementary translation beneath the "real" English text, but the version the reader can enter first, lean into, and use as the cognitive base for the English. In Entre Páginas's layout design, this means treating both texts with equal visual weight and intentionality.
The research on bilingual education programs provides the broader context for why this format serves students better than English-only simplified text would:
"Spanish-speaking low-SES children enrolled in Spanish-English bilingual programs performed better on reading and mathematics tests compared to children in monolingual programs."
Marian et al., 2013, cited in Poarch & Bialystok, 2017
An English-only simplified novella, however well-written, asks the newcomer student to leave their full cognitive resources at the door. The bilingual format does not. This aligns with Aquí Press's foundational principle: language fluency does not dictate cognitive ability.
Write the discussion question, scaffold, or vocabulary support with equal intention in both languages. Neither is the translation of the other. Both are the guide.
Questions about how Aquí Press implements this research in the classroom? We'd love to talk.