What is pedagogical translingualism and how does it promote language learning?

Do you use words or phrases from other languages in informal get-togethers with friends or when sending text messages? In what language do you discuss a movie you’ve seen in the original English version with someone else? Has a second or foreign language teacher told you that you can’t use your first language in class? Traditionally, it has been argued that language classes should exclusively use the “target” language (i.e., the language being studied) to avoid the negative influence of other languages. However, this perspective is now being challenged. First, because multilingual speakers do not isolate languages from each other in real-life communication. And second, because activating prior knowledge can have many learning advantages .

What is ‘translingualism’?

The concept of translanguaging , translated into Spanish as translinguism, translanguage or translenguar, was coined in the context of bilingual education (Welsh and English) in Wales in the 1990s. It originally referred to the pedagogical practice of alternating the language in which information is received (input) and the language in which information is produced (output). This way, students can listen to an explanation, read a text, or watch a video in one language and answer questions, discuss a topic, or present a summary in the other language. The teaching practice of translanguaging requires deep understanding in order to process and convey meaning in two languages.

The extension of the concept of translingualism

Today, it is a widely used concept in bilingual and multilingual education around the world. The original concept of translanguaging has undergone some changes and has different meanings. It is often distinguished between its spontaneous form and its pedagogical use. Spontaneous translanguaging occurs when elements of two or more languages are used in communication, and it can occur both inside and outside of school. For example, common informal language expressions in language contact situations (English-Spanish or Basque-Spanish):

“I’m going to the mall to buy jeans .”
“This house is very small for us .”

This spontaneous translingualism has had a great development in situations of contact between Spanish and English in the United States and its acceptance in educational contexts can help bilingual students not be excluded and have more opportunities in education , even if they use non-standardized varieties.

Pedagogical translingualism

When two or more languages are integrated into teaching in a planned manner to enhance learning, it is considered pedagogical translingualism. It is based on the original concept originating in Wales but includes other teaching practices. For example, fourth-grade students read a text about the water cycle in English and then complete a table of words that share the same origin, form, and meaning in the other curriculum languages, in this case Basque and Spanish.

Cognates, that is, words that are morphologically related, in English, Basque and Spanish.

In this case, this is an example of lexical translingualism, that is, using specific words from one language or another. But pedagogical translingualism can also be used at the phonetic, morphological, syntactical, pragmatic, or discursive levels. For example, you can teach how to write a description in the target language and follow the same guidelines when writing other descriptions in other languages. The words and phrases will be different in different languages, but the organization of the content can be the same. Writing descriptions in three languages helps students better understand the characteristics of descriptive texts. It’s also very beneficial to use the practice of switching between input and output languages : explaining something in one language and then doing exercises on it in another. The key idea is to benefit from multilingualism by viewing your previous languages not as obstacles but as mutually supportive partners .

Pelvic bones in English. Many students in bilingual programs study science subjects in two or more languages. cutehippo/Shutterstock

This way of combining two or more teaching languages can be very useful in academic content classes taught in a second or foreign language (such as in bilingual immersion (CLIL) programs). Many concepts in science or history classes have their origins in Greek and Latin words and are similar across languages. Students can understand more easily if they activate their knowledge of other languages and relate them to the target language.

Pedagogical advantages of translingualism

By connecting prior knowledge with new knowledge through this pedagogical approach, the ability to reflect on and analyze language, which we refer to as metalinguistic awareness, is developed. Teachers can plan translanguaging activities in language classes and also in other subjects taught in the first language or in other languages. The approach facilitates both oral and written comprehension, improving learning and facilitating the transfer of knowledge between languages. The languages they speak best serve as a scaffolding for learning other languages or academic content taught in other languages in immersion or CLIL classes. By better understanding what they are studying, learners are more motivated and have greater confidence in their own abilities. Author Bio: Jasone Cenoz is a Researcher in Educational Sciences at the University of the Basque Country