Unpacking Translanguaging Practices in Multilingual Business Communication in China: A Qualitative Phenomenological Approach

Abstract

Abstract This qualitative phenomenological study examines a cohort of multilingual employees’ translanguaging practices in business communication at seven multinational corporations in China. It is found that these employees integrate various linguistic features of named languages stored in their linguistic repertoires; they spontaneously prioritize the linguistic features of different named languages in different contexts to achieve effective communication. They value sense-making more than grammatical correctness in communication practices, so they deploy multiple semiotic resources in translanguaging practices. This paper suggests that multilingual employees’ translanguaging literacy should be valued as their linguistic/human capital since it provides them with communication resources in a globalized business context. This paper advances understandings of translanguaging and enriches research practice, broadening the research scope of transnational business communication by expanding translanguaging practices from the bilingual education field to a multilingual, transnational workplace context.