Translation and translingual remixing: A young person developing as a writer

Abstract

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: This article aims to understand how a young person develops as a translingual writer and which discursive strategies she identifies as important in this process. Neda (pseudonym) has never learnt to write in Turkmen, which is her home language, but is developing as a confident writer in Norwegian, which is the language of the school. Design/Methodology/Approach: Situated within a linguistic ethnographic framework, in-depth interviews with the young person were conducted as part of a year-long fieldwork. One interview focused on Neda’s writing experiences in general, and the other two examined how she experienced writing selected poems. Data and Analysis: The data for this article are three in-depth interviews with Neda produced over a month’s time, field notes taken in school across that same period, seven poems written at home, and two written in school. The analysis had a joint focus on linguistics and ethnography, identifying core themes. Findings/Conclusions: Neda drew on translation and translingual remixing strategies when writing poetry on her own initiative to develop her voice, which indicates a strong sense of agency. In line with a translingual orientation to communication and literacy, these discursive strategies transcend individual languages and involve diverse semiotic resources in situated meaning construction. Both strategies contribute to creating a deeper understanding of the Norwegian language resources in her repertoire and to finding her voice as a transnational young person. Originality: Few studies have offered detailed insight into how young people reflect upon their development as translingual writers in their spare time and which strategies they identify as important to do so. Significance/Implications: The study contributes to the debate of how teachers can create a space for translingual writing by acknowledging and further developing young people’s own discursive strategies, involving their entire linguistic repertoire.