Speak Your Language: evaluating translanguaging practices in

bilingual education

Maria Nikolova

s4935993

English for Academic Writing

James Doherty

01/06/2022

982 words
2The study of bilingualism and multilingualism has been transformed enormously due to the

introduction of translanguaging (García, 2020). First viewed as an impairment, bilingualism,

according to Jespersen (1922), despite being an advantage with the implication that a child is

familiar with 2 languages, was rather a barrier that could not allow children to learn either of the

languages as perfectly as they would if they were monolingual. Due to a socio-political shift in the

twentieth century during which colonized countries demanded a different approach to education

(Garcia and Lin, 2017), the modern approach to bilingualism and multilingualism includes

translanguaging practices that aim to provide students with recognition and understanding of their

broad linguistic repertoire (García, 2020). Translanguaging focuses on multilinguals’ ‘unitary

linguistic system’ (García, 2020) and rejects the existence of two languages that are different from

each other. Therefore, it can be argued that translanguaging pedagogical practices should be enacted

by instructors as the open opportunities for bilingual students and proclaim effective

communication.

An inappropriate view is frequently associated with the concept of translanguaging. Many compare

it with naturally switching between two or more languages. In fact, translanguaging pedagogical

practices are integrated in a planned way. Commonly, these practices involve the activation of the

learners’ full resources in different languages to perform a particular communicative task. No

constraints would then be placed on the learner as regards the use of a particular language.

Therefore, it is argued, that translanguaging practices in educational settings make the content more

accessible and increase participation. Indeed, in these settings the languages are used dynamically

and in an integrative way which can foster a better understanding of the subject. Nevertheless, there

are a number of constraints. For instance, Cummins (2017) argues, that the pre-existing knowledge

and the ease of the cross-linguistic transfer are necessary for the practice to be successful. Thus

there would be little use if the languages in practice have no similarities as it would solely raise

disorientation. In addition, translanguaging practices are typically met with uncertainty due to the

possible confusion for the students. This, as well as students’ mixed attitudes towards
3translanguaging practices, may ultimately lower their motivations. However, existing research on

these practices has evidenced the contrary. Rowe, for instance, attempted to create an instructional

space that supports translanguaging by introducing a multilingual e-book composing activity in her

class. Students were invited to write a story in English, which was the dominant language used in

school, or their heritage language. The activity was comprised of a variety of stages that aimed to

support students’ translanguaging as they created multilingual texts. Students’ responses, although

not initially, were in general positive. ‘Prior to beginning, many students were hesitant to write in a

language other than English. However, as students became more comfortable creating texts with

bilingual audio, some students also began to create bilingual written texts’ (Rowe, 2018, p.35).

Students’ translanguaging practices were evident as they transited between the languages in their

texts as well as audio recordings of them reading their texts. According to the author, students’

enthusiasm was partly due to the fact that they were not restricted in their language use. This

reflected bilinguals’ everyday practices at home and in the community and thus allowed them to

explore their ideas in a more natural, familiar way, which has benefited their performance.

An additional dimension in which translanguaging practices would benefit bilingual students

concerns positive identity development. Since language is strongly linked to identity, it is evident

that monolingual education can diminish students’ bilingual identities, which can stimulate

suppression of the minoritized communities and their languages. Translanguaging pedagogies, on

the contrary, “help to disrupt the socially constructed language hierarchies that are responsible for

the suppression of the languages of many minoritized peoples” (Otheguy, García & Reid, 2015, p.

283). On the other hand, there is a common concern among linguists who believe that fluid

language practices may, on the opposite, cause thread for minority languages. This results from the

fact that although translanguaging promises to emphasize a unitary linguistic repertoire without

language hierarchies, it can not be in control of minority language use and maintenance, since it is

the people, who are in control of the use. The fact that the boundaries between the languages are

becoming blurred in translanguaging practices thus poses an uncertain position for minority
4languages. However, focusing on protecting a minority language would rather be a contradiction to

the concept of translanguaging. As Garcia&Lin noted, ‘it is important to understand that the

linguistic features that make up that minoritized language cannot be totally isolated from others

because they are generally part of the linguistic competence of bilinguals. Bilingual education

cannot maintain minoritized languages as if they were autonomous museum pieces’ (2017, p.128).

Although the argument concerning the threat to the minority languages is complicated and cannot

be easily resolved, the point of importance remains on the fact that the learners are prioritized in

translanguaging practices. They allow for the learners to activate the full spectrum of their abilities

and identities, therefore recognizing students’ diverse experiences.

To conclude, the beneficial effect of translanguaging should be viewed in a more detailed approach.

It offers a modern viewpoint on language use in the context of our growing multilingual

environments. Apart from proclaiming and expanding these multilingual realities, translanguaging

practices are of particular use due of their focus on the learner. While emphasizing speakers’ full

linguistic repertoire, or to be specific, manifesting language fluidity, and moving from the standard

view on separation of languages, translanguaging contributes to students’ identity development .

This, among other benefits, such as leverage of students’ full communicative repertoire can

positively impact students’ performance. Research shows that translanguaging practices make the

content more accessible as well as increase participation in educational settings. The

aforementioned arguments should be taken into consideration by language policymakers in order to

transform the predominantly monolingual approach and implement translanguaging practices in

educational settings.
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REFERENCES

Cummins, J. (2017). Teaching for transfer in multilingual school contexts.

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García, O., & Lin, A. (2017). Extending understandings of bilingual and multilingual
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García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Language, bilingualism and education. In Translanguaging:
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Jespersen, O. (1992). Language: Its nature, development, and origin. Routledge.

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