Beyond the English Box: Constructing and Communicating Knowledge Through Translingual Practices in the Higher Education Classroom

Abstract

As part of the growing trend of internationalization in higher education, new forms of linguistic practices are recently emerging in diverse contexts. However, such practices are often obscured by English medium instruction (EMI) policies, neglecting the role of other languages, semiotic resources, and modalities in the construction and communication of knowledge. Building on an expanded framework of language policy, in this study I take a “trans-” approach to reconceptualize the “E” in EMI. Specifically, the participants of this study include 18 university lecturers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. Data was collected over a 6-month period through classroom observations and semistructured interviews. The findings show that translingual practices were not uncommon for a range of epistemological, pedagogical, and social purposes, but at the same time significantly constrained by monolingual ideologies that permeate the policy process. To open up translanguaging spaces in the higher education classroom, the study suggests to move current EMI policies from an English-only focus toward multilingual and translingual awareness. Instead of determining the language of instruction a priori, it is more important to focus on ways to become more linguistically aware and ecologically oriented, acknowledging the process of meaning-making as situated, holistic, and embodied.