Translanguaging theory and pedagogy have emerged as central to the recent multilingual turn in educational linguistics and language teaching, including ELT. This article will explore translanguaging from theoretical and practical perspectives, aiming to clarify what it is and is not claiming, and what types of pedagogic practice it advocates, both…

The study reports how an ESOL teacher engaged in translanguaging shifts in a content and language integrated learning classroom in the United States. The study findings, from ethnographic methods and conversation analysis, indicated that the teacher engaged in translanguaging shifts centring on the students' learning needs. She created a…

This qualitative study sets out to understand the beliefs, functions, and practices of using L1 among EFL learners while they learned new L2 vocabulary. Forty-two Saudi male university students were randomly assigned to 21 pairs and asked to complete three reading comprehension tasks. All pair interactions were audio-recorded. Afterward,…

Translanguaging and codeswitching are frequently employed in second/foreign language classrooms. Though the differences between these two practices have been examined from a conceptual perspective, the potential of translanguaging as a pedagogical resource has not been empirically addressed. This article opens with a concise comparison of…

Following the multilingual trend in language education, translanguaging advocates active use of multiple languages and other meaning-making resources in a dynamic and integrated way in teaching and learning. When it comes to foreign language education, translanguaging advocates a view that the languages the learners already have should and can…

Taking notes while simultaneously listening to academic content in a second language is a daunting task for many students. While doing so, the note-taker is faced with a number of choices, including when, where, and how to take notes. Choices that students make are related to the overall format and system of notes as well as how to record specific…

The proponents of translanguaging are often not aware of the history of code-switching research and the relevance of this research for a range of the claims they make, for example on the issue of the separability of systems. While it is understandable that new paradigms try to emphasize how different they are from others, we cannot see why and how…

Tertiary-level English medium instruction (EMI) presents an opportunity for both EMI and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) pedagogies: tertiary STEM needs student-centred strategies familiar to EFL, whereas tertiary EFL can harness the innate complexity of STEM towards complex language production. With the aim of achieving coequal…

This study explored multilingual students' attitudes towards translanguaging after the practice was introduced in group activities aimed at improving their English language skills and classroom engagement. A cohort of students taking a pre-sessional English course at a college of technology in Rwanda were initiated into translanguaging. They were…

In this article, we advocate for the enriching role of arts-based practices in the delivery of a translingual pedagogic approach. With a growing interest in translanguaging, ELT practitioners are searching for models and creative ideas that foster a translingual environment for their learners. We have responded to this call and developed a…

At many universities, English serves as a lingua franca (ELF) between teachers and students for whom English is not their L1. Despite the spread of English-medium instruction (EMI), empirical research on the nature of teacher-student interactions in EMI classrooms remains limited. This study examines the use of ELF in EMI engineering classes at a…

This study examines the relative effects of teacher code-switching and English-only instruction on the vocabulary learning of EFL preschoolers (age 5 and 6), along with their attitudes towards language choices in English learning. Seventy-two young EFL learners were engaged in storytelling activities, either in code-switching or English-only…

The English as a foreign language classroom is a plurilingual setting par excellence since it involves at least two languages. However, plurilingual practices such as code-switching and translation have been consistently discouraged in formal learning contexts, based on the belief that keeping languages compartmentalized helps learning, and…

This article describes a study into the functions of code-switching in EFL classes at a Colombian language school. It was undertaken to decide whether the official "English-only" policy in place in this and other classrooms is pedagogically justified. The results suggest that code-switching may not necessarily be connected to ability…

Examined code-mixing, a little-known technique used in teaching vocabulary. Found that using code-mixing to introduce new vocabulary can be an efficient and effective method. Discusses procedures and cognitive processes involved in vocabulary learning and explains the use of code mixing to introduce vocabulary. (Author/VWL)