A science teacher hands out a worksheet on how plants take in water. In one corner, two students lean toward each other. One of them explains the idea in Arabic, points to the diagram, then switches to English to write the answer. Nobody has asked for translation. The students are using every language they have to make sense of the lesson. Many teachers see this moment every week and wonder what to call it. The word is translanguaging, and this article explains what is translanguaging, in plain language.
Quick answer: Translanguaging is the intentional use of a multilingual learner’s full set of languages as a resource for thinking, learning and communicating. A student might discuss an idea in one language, read in a second and write in a third. It is a teaching approach for every subject, and it is not limited to English language support.
In this article
- What is translanguaging, exactly?
- Where the term comes from
- What translanguaging looks like in a classroom
- What translanguaging is not
- Do you need to speak your students’ languages?
- Three small ways to start this week
- Frequently asked questions
What is translanguaging, exactly?
Multilingual students do not keep their languages in separate boxes. They move between them, borrow from them and combine them to understand new ideas. Researchers call this whole set of language resources a linguistic repertoire. Translanguaging is what happens when the classroom is designed so that students can draw on that repertoire on purpose, and when teachers plan for it instead of leaving it to chance.
The word “intentional” matters. A student whispering to a friend in a shared language is a natural behaviour. Translanguaging as a teaching approach starts when the teacher builds a routine around it: a moment for students to talk through a problem in the language they know best, a task that asks them to compare how two languages express the same idea, or a reading that students can discuss in any language before they write in the language of instruction.
Most of the time, the goal is not to move work from one language to another. The goal is better thinking. A student who understands a concept deeply in one language can then bring that understanding into the language of the lesson.
Where the term comes from
The term began in Wales. In the 1990s the educator Cen Williams used the Welsh word trawsieithu to describe a classroom practice in which students took in information in one language and produced work in the other. The English form, translanguaging, followed. The researcher Ofelia Garcia and her colleagues later widened the idea. In their book Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education (Garcia and Li Wei, 2014), translanguaging describes how bilingual and multilingual people use their languages as one connected system for making meaning, in school and out of it.
That history explains why the term can sound abstract. Behind it is a simple observation about how multilingual people really think and speak, and a simple question for schools: what happens to learning when we stop asking students to leave part of themselves at the door?
What translanguaging looks like in a classroom
Translanguaging is not tied to one subject or one age group. The examples below show how the same idea appears in different lessons.
- Mathematics: students solve a word problem in pairs, discussing it in any shared language, then write the solution and explain the steps in English. A teacher might also ask how a fraction is said in different languages and what that shows about the concept.
- Science: students predict the result of an experiment with a partner in the language they know best, then record their observations in the language of instruction.
- Humanities: students read a short text in English, then compare it with a source in another language that treats the same event, and discuss what changes between the two.
- Primary classrooms: children label a class chart with words from every language in the room, then use those words when they write.
- Specialist classes: in art, music or physical education, students share instructions and vocabulary in their languages so that everyone can take part from the first minute.
More examples are in our posts on translanguaging examples for the classroom and translanguaging strategies. For a free set, the Translanguaging Starter Kit gives 10 concrete classroom examples.
What translanguaging is not
Several ideas get mixed up with translanguaging. Separating them makes it easier to plan for.
It is not the same as translation
Translation moves a message from one language to another. Translanguaging is broader. Students may use different languages to process an idea, discuss it, research it or reflect on it, without translating anything. Translation can be one tool inside translanguaging, but it is not the definition. Our post on translanguaging and translation explains the difference with examples.
It is not only code-switching
Code-switching describes alternating between languages in speech. Translanguaging includes that, and it also covers reading, writing, planning and thinking across languages, plus the way teachers design lessons around them. See translanguaging and code-switching for a side-by-side comparison.
It is not an EAL-only strategy
Translanguaging is a pedagogy for the whole curriculum. Mathematics, science, humanities, the arts and physical education teachers can all use it. Students who are fluent in English still have other languages that can deepen their thinking. Treating it as a support for newcomers only leaves most of its value unused.
It is not a language free-for-all
A translanguaging classroom has structure. Teachers decide when students work in which languages, what the final product needs to be, and how learning will be shown. Rigor stays high. The structure simply makes room for the languages students already have.
Do you need to speak your students’ languages?
No. This is the most common worry, and it holds many teachers back. You do not need to speak every language in the room. You need routines that let students use their own language knowledge while you guide the learning: partner talk before writing, multilingual glossaries that students build, and tasks where students teach each other what a word means in their language. Students become experts in the room, and the teacher stays in charge of the learning goal. Our post on translanguaging without speaking your students’ languages goes through this in more detail.
Why schools are paying attention
International and bilingual schools already celebrate their language diversity. The gap is often between that celebration and what happens in a Tuesday morning lesson. Translanguaging offers a practical way to close it, because it changes daily routines and not only posters and events. So the question “what is translanguaging?” is also a question about how a school runs its lessons.
It also helps to see it as a school-level question. A case study by Patrice Thompson and Paul Magnuson follows the introduction of translanguaging in a large international school in China, looking at how language-inclusive practice can support learning, belonging and school-wide implementation. You can read it in the Ecolint Institute research journal (2024). A shorter view for school leaders is in The Future is Multilingual, published by ECIS.
Three small ways to start this week
- Add a thinking pause. Before students write, give them two minutes to talk through the task with a partner in any language they share.
- Build a class glossary. Pick five key words from the unit and invite students to add how each word is said or written in their languages, with a short note on how it connects to the concept.
- Change one task. Choose one assignment and decide which part students can prepare in any language and which part must be in the language of instruction.
None of these asks you to speak a new language or rewrite your curriculum. They ask you to notice the languages already in the room and plan for them.
Frequently asked questions
What is translanguaging in simple words?
It is letting multilingual students use all of their languages to think, talk, read and write about what they are learning, with a plan from the teacher.
Is translanguaging only for English language learners?
No. It is a teaching approach for every subject and every student in a multilingual classroom, whatever their level of English.
Will using home languages slow down English?
Research does not support the idea that multilingual learners must avoid their other languages to develop English. Existing language knowledge can support comprehension and concept learning. Teachers still keep strong expectations for work in the language of instruction.
What is the difference between translanguaging and code-switching?
Code-switching is alternating between languages while speaking. Translanguaging is wider: it includes planned classroom routines that use students’ languages for reading, writing, discussion and thinking.
Where to go next
If you are still asking what is translanguaging in practice, the quickest route is to see it in a real lesson. If you teach: start with the free Translanguaging Starter Kit or take the three-minute Multilingual Classroom Checkup. When you are ready for a full approach, The Translanguaging Mindset is a self-paced course for teachers.
If you lead a school: see how whole-school professional learning works, or book a free discovery call to talk about your school.
Patrice Thompson, MEd, MBA, is the founder of Conex-Us Consulting. She has more than 15 years of experience in international education and writes about translanguaging for teachers and school leaders.
