Translanguaging in enhancing communicative competence

SUMMARY

Existing Knowledge:

1. Translanguaging as a Teaching Strategy: Translanguaging, the practice of using multiple languages within a single learning environment, has been shown to aid in the comprehension and learning process. It allows students to leverage their entire linguistic repertoire to make sense of new content.

2. Enhancing Communicative Competence: Research indicates that using translanguaging can improve communicative competence by encouraging students to express themselves more freely. It helps in developing both academic language proficiency and everyday communication skills.

3. Multilingual Contexts in Higher Education: In countries with multilingual populations, such as Lesotho, students often navigate multiple languages daily. Translanguaging can bridge the gap between their native languages and the language of instruction, typically English, in higher education.

New Insights from this Study:

1. Positive Impact on Confidence and Participation: The study finds that pedagogical translanguaging in Lesotho university classrooms increases students' confidence in participating and expressing their ideas. Students felt more comfortable engaging in discussions when they could use both their native language and English.

2. Support for Understanding Complex Concepts: Translanguaging helped students grasp complex concepts more effectively. By using their native language to interpret challenging content, students could better understand and retain information, leading to improved academic performance.

3. Reduced Language Anxiety: The study highlights that translanguaging reduces language anxiety among students. By allowing students to use familiar languages, they experienced less pressure to conform solely to English, which improved their overall learning experience and communicative competence.

Putting Research into Practice:

1. Encouraging Bilingual Instructional Strategies: Educators in multilingual settings can adopt bilingual or multilingual instructional strategies to create more inclusive learning environments. This can involve structured opportunities for students to discuss and process information in both English and their native languages.

2. Training Teachers in Translanguaging Techniques: Providing professional development on translanguaging techniques can help teachers implement these strategies effectively. This training could include methods for integrating multiple languages into lessons without sacrificing content depth.

3. Developing Translanguaging Resources: Universities can develop and distribute resources that support translanguaging, such as bilingual glossaries, translation tools, and multilingual academic materials. These resources would help students navigate both the language of instruction and their native languages with greater ease.

REFERENCE:

Article Title: The impact of pedagogical translanguaging in enhancing communicative competence of university students in Lesotho

Authors: Sekoai Elliot Nkhi and Thembeka Shange

Journal: International Journal of Language Studies Year: 2024