Understanding Translanguaging in Multilingual Education

Abstract

Translanguaging" has now become a buzzword in every multilingual educational setting, and everybody is eager to exhibit their understanding of it. This paper critically examines the concept of "translanguaging," whereby it identifies the two principal research approaches: "the fixed language approach" and "the fluid languaging approach." Its intention is to clarify the various readings accordingly. This review is helpful in the classification of how 'translanguaging' has been conceptualised within the pedagogy and as a practical theory of language. It classifies studies within the two using conceptual and empirical literature, offering a comprehensive understanding of the approaches. The findings reported here clearly indicate that "translanguaging" is unfolding as part of the meaning-making practices across multilingual classrooms in the Global North and South. Research shows that strategic use of the translanguaging pedagogy enhances learners' curriculum access by leveraging their linguistic repertoires. This review has implications for challenging monolingual ideologies, fostering social justice for marginalised communities, and sustaining teacher-learner relationships. Its review encourages further exploration in diverse linguistic settings while building on translanguaging's strengths as an extremely promising research and practice area for reshaping future language education.