The Media, Arts and Humanities Research Institute

Abstract: Translanguaging is a very popular term in the field of multilingualism, as it has been studied in over 3000 papers. But what does it really mean? It seems that, like Humpty Dumpty, when researchers use the term, ‘it means just what they choose it to mean — neither more nor less.' While it is good that the translanguaging literature has opened up discussions about the advantages of using more than one language in the classroom, particularly in contexts where learners are multilingual themselves, we need diagnostic criteria that enable us to identify multilingual practices that are beneficial for learners. On a theoretical level, a number of claims have been made in the translanguaging literature that are untenable in the face of overwhelming counterevidence from a range of fields (MacSwan, 2022; Treffers-Daller, 2025). The key proponents of translanguaging claim, for example, that languages are not psychologically real and that there are no boundaries between language systems (García et al, 2021; Otheguy et al., 2015, 2019). In the talk, I will review the evidence from a range of studies, and argue that translanguaging can offer a helpful complementary perspective on multilingual practices once neuroscientific, structural, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives on multilingualism have been integrated into its conceptualization.

 

García, O., Flores, N., Seltzer, K., Li, W., Otheguy, & Rosa, R. (2021). Rejecting abyssal thinking in the language and education of racialized bilinguals: A manifesto. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 18(3), 203-28.

MacSwan, J. (Ed.). (2022). Multilingual Perspectives on Translanguaging. Bristol: Channel View Publications.

Otheguy, R., García, O. & Reid, W. (2015). Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics. Applied Linguistics Review, 6(3), 281–307.

Otheguy, R., García, O, & Reid, W. (2019). A Translanguaging view of the linguistic system of Bilinguals. Applied Linguistics Review, 10(4), 625–51.

Otheguy et al. (2015; 2019), Treffers-Daller, J. (2025). Translanguaging: What is it besides smoke and mirrors?. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 15(1), 1-26.

 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Best wishes,

ROLLS team