Translanguaging revisited

Abstract

This article takes a translanguaging perspective and is based on linguistic-ethnographic research. It investigates the participants’ interactional engagement with their linguistic repertoire in two multilingual Belgian primary classrooms and the pedagogical potential of these practices. Analyses demonstrate that teachers can transform translanguaging as a pedagogy into practice by permitting pupils to interact, thereby co-constructing knowledge and valorizing their own and others’ translanguaging. The article also shows how translanguaging practices are influenced by changes in evolving constellations and dynamics of a group, by content, and by socio-situational, cognitive and linguistic factors. At the same time, the article highlights challenges for translanguaging research, policy and pedagogy. With respect to further studies in this area, reflection is recommended on the definition of translanguaging and the integration of speakers’ attitudes in research. In terms of policy, the article considers as to how best to reconcile a multilingual reality with a monolingual educational ideology and reflects on the relationship between macro level interventions and micro-interactional practices. For pedagogy, four challenges are highlighted: the degree of acceptance of translanguaging practices in schools, the commitment to developing the school language for academic tasks, the need to pay attention to the unequal treatment of languages, and the implementation of an innovative approach with a focus on teachers and the creation of a powerful learning environment.