Interlinguistic Transition

Translanguaging is the process by which multilingual individuals draw upon their full range of linguistic and semiotic resources not as separate systems but as an integrated repertoire for meaning-making. This approach challenges the traditional monolingual paradigm that views languages as closed systems rigidly divided by social, cultural, and political boundaries.

^{Visual Representation of the Integrated Repertoire (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

The concept was first introduced in the 1980s in bilingual educational settings in Wales by Cen Williams using the Welsh term "trawsieithu"; it was later translated into English as "translanguaging". ^【1】 Initially defined as the planned and systematic use of two languages within the same lesson, the concept has since been expanded by scholars such as García, Blackledge, Creese, and Canagarajah into a broad theoretical framework encompassing both spoken interaction and multilingual practices in written texts.^【2】 Theoretically, language is viewed not as a static object (noun) but as a continuous process of becoming (verb/languaging).

^{Visual Representation of Meaning Construction (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Translanguaging pedagogy positions students’ home languages and other linguistic resources not as obstacles to learning but as cognitive and social tools. The core functions of this pedagogical approach are categorized as follows:

• Meaning Construction and Comprehension: Students negotiate meaning by drawing on their entire linguistic repertoire to fully grasp complex scientific content or new concepts.
• Cognitive Support and Anxiety Reduction: For students with limited proficiency in the target language, strategic use of the home language can reduce anxiety and facilitate participation.
• Identity Construction: Students produce "identity texts" by bringing their experiences outside the classroom into the learning environment to express their identities.
• Writing Strategies: In the writing process, students’ blending of dialects, local expressions, and different language systems (code-meshing) transforms academic writing from a homogenized practice into a polyphonic structure.

^{Visual Representation of Code-meshing (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Translanguaging practices are observed not only in face-to-face classrooms but also in online foreign language classrooms, in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) settings where English is the medium of instruction (EMI), and in writing courses.

• Student Practices: Students frequently employ strategies such as taking notes in their home language, discussing topics with peers in their home language, and checking word meanings in their native tongue.
• Perceptual Tendencies: Students generally perceive translanguaging as a strategy that facilitates learning, deepens comprehension, and enables them to express themselves more comfortably.^【3】 However, some students have been reported to approach this practice cautiously, fearing it may reduce exposure to the target language.

Translanguaging is also linked to the dimension of social justice in language education. This approach questions the hierarchies imposed by notions of "standard" or "target" languages and advocates for the recognition of multilingual resources of marginalized students within educational settings.^【4】 Rejecting the nation-state ideology of the "two monolinguals in one body," it argues that languages function as complementary competencies rather than isolated systems.^【5】

Türkiye has become a geographic space where multilingualism is intensively experienced, due to increasing international student mobility and migration waves.

• Preparatory Classes and EMI: Pedagogies based solely on intensive exposure to the target language may not be sufficient for all student groups; translanguaging-based approaches that consider multilingual repertoires are argued to offer alternative pedagogical opportunities, particularly in preparatory, EMI, and writing courses.
• Academic Access: The dominance of English as the global academic language poses a barrier for scholars who cannot write in standard English; at this point, translanguaging is viewed as a "resistance" strategy that enables academics to express their scholarly competence using all available linguistic resources.
• Pedagogical Transformation: In the Turkish context, academic proposals exist to integrate translanguaging into teacher education and to revise curricula to embrace students’ multilingual repertoires.