Webinar: “Translanguaging” by Russell Aldersson

Translanguaging is “the dynamic process whereby multilingual language users mediate complex social and cognitive activities through strategic employment of multiple semiotic resources to act, to know, and to be” (Garcia & Li, 2014).

This webinar explores translanguaging and looks at its origins as a description of a language practice in a teaching and learning context, to its development as a broader theory of language. We shall examine the idea of
– a linguistic repertoire
– a translanguaging space
– a translanguaging instinct
– translanguaging stance

Finally, we can consider how we might explore our role as interpreters through the lens of translanguaging and how the trans prefix means not just the movement across and between languages but beyond (and what we might mean by that).

Learning outcomes: Following the webinar participants should be able to:

Understanding translanguaging in terms of its origins and definitions

Understand the concept of a linguistic repertoire

Describe how translanguaging might be applied to interpreting, particularly in community interpreting settings

Indicative Reading:

Garcia, O., & Li, W. (2014) Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Baskingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Grosjean, F., & Garcia, O,(2016). Interview: What is Translanguaging? https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/life-bilingual/201603/what-is-translanguaging?eml

Kusters, A., Spotti, M., Swanwick, R., and Tapio, E. (2017). Beyond languages, beyond modalities: transforming the study of semiotic repertoires. In Baker and Vetter (Editors)

International Journal of Multilingualism. Volume 14 Number 3 August 2017. Routledge / Taylor and Francis Group

Li, W. (2017) Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language. Applied Linguistics 2018: 39/1: 9–30. Oxford University Press, 2017.

Lewis, G., Jones, B. and Baker, C. (2012). Translanguaging: origins and development from school to street and beyond. Educational Research and Evaluation 18:7 p641-654