Translanguaging for academic reading at a South African university

Abstract

Bilingual and multilingual academic readers in monolingual programmes worldwide – whose first language is not English – typically experience comprehension difficulties with English texts. This article identifies poor reading achievement as a pressing problem among multilingual students in South Africa. It complements the growing body of translanguaging scholarship challenging English-only norms in higher education by experimenting with fluid practices in an academic reading development intervention. The investigation addresses how literacy instructors could enrich reading university English texts in linguistically diverse higher education settings and push academic performance through a translanguaging stance and pedagogy. The study drew from sociocultural, heteroglossia and translanguaging fluidity theories using mixed methods. I propose alternative pluralistic practices that respect students’ identities, open spaces for heteroglot voices, and simultaneously use multiple languages to improve text comprehension and concept knowledge. Translanguaging integrates languages into one meaning-making system while deepening readers’ awareness of the different languages, including the English of the text. This humanising approach provides a safe space for first-year students whose languages and cultural repertoires are validated, legitimised and mobilised in their academic learning. The study concludes that translanguaging gives bi/multilingual readers an edge in academic reading and is recommended.