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Translanguaging, described by Wei (2017) as a “practical theory of language” is used broadly to describe a myriad of multilingual behaviors, most generally described as attention to “everyday language practices of multilingual language users” (p. 10).  As we consider the unending ways language is used to facilitate communication, translanguaging is an especially critical notion for language teaching and learning. This month, in InterCom, we will focus on translanguaging and the many ways it can be considered in formal language classrooms. This week we begin with three basic ideas. Each will be considered further throughout the month.

 

1. Translanguaging theory and practice advocate that classroom experts take caution to avoid a preference for purely monolingual encounters in the language classroom. This might mean, for example, including activities in which everyone talks about ways in which they might be multilingual and how that might differ across different interactional contexts. 

 

2. Language teachers can explicitly recognize the practice of translanguaging as a critical language practice that is used in a variety of context around the world. This week’s Activity of the Week highlights one activity for doing this. Teachers can ask learners to recognize the multilingual spaces and behaviors all around them. This can include exploration and reflection, or even the production of texts, an especially important activity for learners who are multilingual already.

 

3. We can assess learners’ ability to recognize, analyze, and reflect on translanguaging practices, either their own or those of others in specific communities in which they might be interested. This might be, for example, a reading assessment in which learners are asked to decipher and utilize a multilingual text and describe the translanguaging practice needed to fully interpret the text.

 

Regardless of the approach one takes, translanguaging practices are essential in the world today. As learners develop their own language skills, it can be increasingly empowering to see the variety of ways in which users of different languages engage in these multilingual practices.

 

 

Wei, L. (2017). Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language, Applied Linguistics,  39(1), 9–30. https://academic.oup.com/applij/article/39/1/9/4566103