Student Translanguaging in Collaborative Learning in a Chinese University EMI Marketing Course

Abstract

This mixed-methods study draws on classroom discourse and interviews to examine how Chinese university students in an EMI marketing course engage in translanguaging during collaborative learning. Although English served as the primary medium, students strategically mobilised multilingual resources to support cognitive, linguistic, organisational, and social functions. Classroom data revealed that students’ translanguaging strategies were influenced by different functional talk types: cognitive–conceptual and planning–organisational talk frequently involved intra- and inter-sentential switching, while linguistic–discursive talk featured dense recapping, particularly during conceptually demanding discussions. Off-task interaction occurred almost exclusively in Chinese. Students also drew on cultural knowledge, digital tools, and gestures in meaning-making. Interview data indicate that students valued peer translanguaging and preferred a flexible instructional balance that supports the use of Chinese while maintaining opportunities for English development. The findings highlight the pedagogical and sociocultural value of translanguaging for context-sensitive EMI instruction.