Designing Dual Language Books for Children in the United Kingdom Schools

Scientifically designed dual language books are the premise and basis for ensuring smooth bilingual teaching. To design dual language books for children in Britain, it is necessary to fully consider the practicality of their books and meet the actual needs of schools. The dual language books should be easy to learn and teach, practical and interesting, so as to meet the bilingual learning needs of British children. This essay will cut into the resources of the UK’s major language communities and discuss the various factors that influence the design of dual language books, and related issues identified by the research project.


Introduction
The following essay focuses on better understanding the need for dual language books in the primary schools of Britain and it analyzes the key of the design issues shown in these books. The essay demonstrates that designing effective dual language books requires a considerable amount of equity that is focused on the equal restructuring of different languages. Moreover, it reveals that successful dual language books are those which can not only effectively respond to needs but also take into consideration the placement of pictures and the direction of reading. This essay focuses on the resources produced for the main language communities in the UK where dual language books with non-Latin scripts are needed (Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Cantonese and Mandarin). It identifies various factors influencing dual language book design and discusses related issues that have been identified by research projects such as the Multilingual Resources for Children Project, conducted at the University of Reading in 1995. This essay first describes what dual language books are, then explains the need for dual language books in UK primary schools, then illustrates diversification of value orientation and flexibility in the designing of dual language books, and discusses the various factors that influence the design of dual language books.

Dual Language Books
First of all, it's important to understand what dual language books are, as they are of significance for language learners and/or bilingual readers. They offer texts in two different languages. Often, this text is side-by-side in each language, but some books will share a short excerpt, such as a chapter, prior to switching languages. Bilinguals all over the globe will show a fact that their fluent degree in different languages is not the same. A language which is mainly used in academic circumstances may seem strange while used in informal circumstances. Family problems are usually talked in a home language. Based on where a couple lives while their first baby is born, they may merely grasp the vocabulary for baby items in one language and find it hard while talking with families in their country of origin. However, the notion of a "balanced bilingual" is not really put into practice completely in the field of multilingualism. In spite of this, people may be caught in the trap of holding that bilingual children are exceptions to this rule. They have such an expectation that bilingual children have the same level of mastery of both languages. Nevertheless, similar to adults, children's level of linguistic ability varies with circumstances and languages. For instance, it is a challenge for a bilingual child to illustrate issues in a home language which occurred in the school language. This is due to the fact that there are differences in the words, phrases and meanings between the school setting and the home setting.
According to Walker, Edwards and Blacksell (1996), dual language books provide a good example of "Language in contact". For language learners, dual-language books are an optimal reading option as they are less daunting in comparison to reading fully in the target language. Reading in a foreign language can be intimidating for even experienced learners. However, if there is an English translation handy, it's much easier for people to give reading a try without fear of failure. Because they offer additional language support, dual-language books are perfect for beginners and intermediate students. Books in different languages play a significant part in a child's experience of other languages and scripts. Research has demonstrated that helping bilingual children to build literacy in more than one language requires the willingness of parents and teachers to take the maximum advantage of the considerable benefits brought by bilingual books (Baker, 2011, vol. 79). In the past, there was much criticism regarding the use of dual and multi-language texts stating that it would simply encourage the children to focus only on the easier language. However, nowadays, it has been widely recognized that dual language books are an effective way to support children in their bilingual journey. Children can make a comparison between the have been developing in one language to another, thereby promoting the overall literacy development of their skills (Edwards, 2008, vol. 5). Prof Xiao-lei Wang has further offered two examples of how dual language books and materials can help primary school children master their languages. The first example is that the dual language books offer predictability to another language from the primary language. The use of dual texts promotes comprehension and also introduces children to the different ways in which prints work.
The second example is that dual language books offer the opportunity of comparing and contrasting texts and also help to develop meta-linguistic abilities. This is referred to as the ability to notice the differences and variances in different languages. With the availability of bilingual books in the classroom and also at home, children are provided with the opportunity of becoming literate in a fluid and an organic way. They are enabled to use both languages in a good manner for the development of overall comprehension. By reading the same books and discussing the plot in their own languages, parents and teachers can further strengthen this process (Walker, 2014).
Considering schools in the UK where the appearance of dual language books can date back to the early 1980s, research has highlighted that monolingual teachers often feel insecure in giving school children books and scripts and languages that they themselves are unable to understand (Edwards & Blacksell, 1995). Due to the lack of detailed knowledge and information about other cultures and languages, they have expressed a lack of confidence in talking to children about the stories and books they are reading in other languages. Dual language books, therefore, have offered children and teachers good alternatives as the English text can allow equal access to bilingual and monolingual readers.

The Need for Dual Language Books in UK Primary Schools
The use of dual language books in schools, indeed, has brought about key issues of concern. While effective resources may be critical for the success of the children, they tend to work only in schools where linguistic diversity is deemed as an asset rather than an issue. Here, the teachers recognize that the appropriate resources may not be the only answer and instead exist as just a part of a wider response.
According to existing studies which have been conducted with teachers and students of schools in the United Kingdom, it has been found that there are various perceptions regarding the place of dual language books within a classroom (Ma, 2008: pp. 237-251). Furthermore, it has been determined that one language Art and Design Review that needs to be kept a part of the books is English as it is the primary language of the country. Nevertheless, the secondary language should be the community language or a common language spoken in the environment such as French and Welsh.
One of the primary benefits of dual texts that have been identified by teachers is the improvement in student awareness of multi-culturalism. In addition, dual texts are also viewed as a valuable bridge between the school and the home, making it possible for the parents and also other literate members of the community to be able to read with their children. As claimed by Walker, Edwards and Blacksell (1996), many teachers in the UK believe that dual language books are in no way helpful in teaching the community language mainly because they have been encouraging the children to focus on one language at the price of another.
In spite of this, it has been found that to guarantee the success of dual language books in schools, it is critical for those who source and produce these resources to focus on the design and the structure of the texts, images and the book as a whole. Key issues needing special attention are concerned with the diversification of value orientation and the guarantee of an equal structure of the two languages while developing dual language books. Furthermore, the direction of the reading needs to be given attention as well. Thus, it will be easier for multi-linguistic and bilingual students to better understand the two languages and also relate to the texts and the scripts which are a critical part of the book. Also, from the perspective of teachers, the use of languages will help them in reading in the language that the children can understand best and alternating to the second language so that they are able to facilitate discussion and ensure progress and development.

The Diversification of Value Orientation in the Designing of Dual Language Books
According to Baker and Jones (1998)

The Flexibility in the Designing of Dual Language Books
Three-dimensional dual language books for children involve a new set of designing concepts, principles, objectives and methods. Guided by modern educational ideas, such as modern learning theory, educational theory and educational communication theory, they are a series of books featured with the organic integration of print media, audio-visual media and electronic media. In terms of the knowledge system, three-dimensional dual language books should manifest three-dimensionalization of organizational contents and supporting contents.
The organizational contents, as the core, are evolving constantly. Supporting contents are generally descriptive and auxiliary, depending on the difficulty of knowledge and the readers' ability to accept. Organizational contents are believed to be the "skeleton" of dual language books while supporting contents are interpreted as the "blood and flesh", which jointly construct a knowledge system with specific teaching functions.

The Equal Structuring of the Two Languages
After reviewing the relevant existing literature, it has been found that the designing of a bilingual book for children involves various issues pertaining to the typography ranging from the choice of various typefaces to the organization of the languages graphically. Furthermore, dual texts have been found to lead to more problems due to the fact that they cover pictures as well, such as the placing of pictures in the texts. As teachers, the designers of the books are interested in understanding how the people read (Hu, Chen, & Li, 2012: pp. 52-57 (Figure 1).
Another book that falls under this specific category is "The moving mango tree" where there is the equal status for both the languages running in different directions, thereby making two books into one. Repetition of the illustrations is also avoided. Instead, they are related across the two different texts appearing in English and in Urdu (Edwards & Blacksell, 1995). Furthermore, the analysis also manifests that within the constraints of a page, there are several ways in which pictures can be organized with the text. The main factors that need to be considered while designing the book with images involve children's ability and age, their reading strategy, type of materials, and the necessity and the comprehensibility of the pictures. Moreover, it has been elaborated that the solution for the relationship between images and texts is not the only way as one approach may suit a wide range of purposes (Hélot & Young, 2006: pp. 60-90).

The Placement of the Pictures
It has been found that a different dimension exists to the relationship which may exist between the pictures and the words. This is mainly due to the fact that it does not just highlight a text/picture relationship, but a text/text/picture that needs to be configured. This results in the availability of different organization techniques. The most common way of the arrangement includes one text to be placed over the other in one of the three ways as shown in the image below ( Figure 2).
The most commonly used techniques are the placement of one text over the other which is separated by space. The inclusions of images, nevertheless, increase the options for page layouts. In the meantime, the other configurations include the texts to be side-by-side while one text is vertical and the other is horizontal. This is used under the circumstance that the languages are read from different directions such as Urdu or Chinese (Figure 3).  This has been found to include a group with mono-lingual and bilingual children and two teachers ( Figure 4). Occasionally, the whole story will first be read or paraphrased in one specific language and then the languages will be alternated by the other language after each page. It has also been observed that in some cases, readers will tend to choose the familiar language while reading (Newman, 1996: pp. 495-513).
These observations are found to be consistent with other studies. While bilingual and mono-lingual teachers work together, mono-lingual teachers retain the most control. On the other hand, when responsibilities are taken by bilingual teachers, they tend to be more capable of ensuring that the children's home language is used throughout and that the same language is used to respond to the contributions of the children (Pitkänen-Huhta & Pietikäinen, 2014). In spite of this, dual language books have been found to be used in different ways by bilingual children or monolingual children who may work alone and also by an individual monolingual and bilingual child.

The Direction of the Reading
Another common issue existing in the design of dual language books is typography. It has been found that dual texts offer a distinctive kind of typographic problems as compared to those in single-language books. The main reason behind this is the inclusion of two different texts rather than one and also the project  According to Walker, Edwards and Blacksell (1996)

Conclusion
From this analysis, it can be concluded that the design of dual text for use in the United Kingdom's primary schools is neither straightforward nor simple and some key areas should be given special attention. The Multilingual Resources for Children Project at the University of Reading plays a positive role in the identification of many issues. Firstly, according to Walker, Edwards and Blacksell (1996: p. 282), successful dual texts are those where the potential readers have been made part of the design process. Attention should be paid not only to the overall and comprehensive conditions of children but also to their individuality, interactivity and sustainability. In other words, children's abilities and needs should be taken into full consideration. Secondly, more research is needed with regard to non-Latin script typography for children. Clearly, dual language books, if effectively designed, can boost the development and the progress of the bilingual child's mind towards literacy and may also address issues such as differences between the home setting and the school setting facing bilingual children. The use of dual language books has also been found to be helpful for teachers and parents as it assists them in reading and understanding what a child learns. This makes it easy for them to relate to the specific experiences of the children in question. Based on the above analysis, what should be noted is that it is of necessity for education policy makers and administrators to provide continued support for the identification, production and provision of important resources, in order to develop a progressive multi-cultural society like that found in the United Kingdom today.

Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.