Translanguaging

Translanguaging is the process whereby multilingual speakers utilize their languages as an integrated communication system. Translanguaging is an extension of the concept of languaging, the discursive practices of language speakers, but with an additional feature of using multiple languages, often simultaneously. It is a dynamic process in which multilingual language users navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages. It is believed that the term was first coined in Welsh by Cen Williams as trawsieithu in his 1994 unpublished thesis titled, 'An evaluation of teaching and learning methods in the context of bilingual secondary education'. Translanguaging is the process whereby multilingual speakers utilize their languages as an integrated communication system. Translanguaging is an extension of the concept of languaging, the discursive practices of language speakers, but with an additional feature of using multiple languages, often simultaneously. It is a dynamic process in which multilingual language users navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages. It is believed that the term was first coined in Welsh by Cen Williams as trawsieithu in his 1994 unpublished thesis titled, 'An evaluation of teaching and learning methods in the context of bilingual secondary education'. Translanguaging involves issues of language production, effective communication, the function of language, and the thought processes behind language use. The term is a result of bilingualism, and is often employed in a pedagogical setting, but also has applications to any setting or part of life that a multilingual individual may experience. This includes complex linguistic family dynamics, and the use of code-switching and how that usage relates to one's understanding of their own multilingualism. In an educational setting, translanguaging can be controlled by both the student and the teacher. It maximizes the child's bilingual ability and is being used across the world. For instance, a teacher can develop a lesson plan using English as the medium of instruction and another language as the medium of discussion. This then allows the student to, in response, use each language for different domains within the classroom. Translanguaging, however, is not only a tool used in the classroom, but a function of language experienced by multilingual speakers, who constitute most language communities in the world. When talking about bilingualism, some scholars consider translanguaging as opposed to a 'double monolingualism.' This puts an emphasis on how multilingual speakers use varying language skill levels to communicate fully, rather than emphasizing the concept of equal proficiency between two languages. Additionally, translanguaging is dissimilar from diglossia because translanguaging practices do not mandate a language hierarchy, nor do they mandate that different language systems are assigned to different domains or functions for the speaker; rather, translanguaging develops the adaptability and cooperation of language systems. Bilingual education is thought to go back as far as 4000–5000 years. Among the bilingual tablets unearthed in Aleppo, Syria in 1977, there were a number of pedagogical texts that were used to instruct young scribes. The ideology behind translanguaging emerged from the evolution of multilingual teaching practices, particularly the practices promoted by Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), an international association designed to advance the quality of English language instruction. The beginnings of bilingual education in the United States asserted the primacy of speech and fostered a stark neglect of written language learning. The second language instruction of the 1960s and 70s heavily utilized oral-aural drills, and written portions of the courses were mimetic and repetition oriented, and structure, form, syntax, and grammar were given priority status for learners. In this system there was no focus on actual language use, which led to a lack of knowledge about how language and communication work in real practice. In the late 1970s and 80s second language education shifted to focus on the importance of communication and language use for participation in particular discourse communities. However, emphasizing language-learning as a means to enter a discourse community was also problematic, as it pressured students to surrender their own language practices in order to become practicing members of the new discourse communities. Translanguaging as a focus of study first emerged in Bangor, Wales in the 1980s. It is based on François Grosjean's idea that bilinguals are not two monolinguals in one. Cen Williams and his colleagues were researching strategies of using both Welsh and English in a single lesson in a classroom setting. Cen Williams' Welsh term 'trawsieithu' was translated into English as 'translanguaging' by their colleague Colin Baker.