Introduction: jingle, welcome to “The World of Translanguaging” by Sophia, Desyre, and Haley. In this episode, we will be talking about translanguaging in schools. We will discuss what this is, its benefits, some examples, some personal experience, and so much more. Haley is going to start off our episode..

Haley: Translanguaging is defined as “a theoretical lens that offers a different view of bilingualism and multilingualism. The theory posits that rather than possessing two or more autonomous language systems, as has been traditionally thought, bilinguals, multilingual, and all users of language select and deploy particular features from a unitary linguistic repertoire to make meaning and negotiate particular communicative contexts.” In simpler terms, translanguaging is when people selectively choose what features to use from their linguistic knowledge to use in communication with others.. Trans means to transcend artificial linguistic boundaries and language as a process of knowledge and construction.
When we look at the 6 principles outlined by Espana & Herra we can see the different ways to affirm our student's language skills and experiences. Since we already acknowledge that identity and language play an integral part in each other, we must be mindful of our language choices and decisions. Encouraging students to use all of a school's resources to their advantage would be one way to be in solidarity with their translanguaging practices. These students are coming from an area where they do not know the local language so teaching them is important, but also allowing them to use their native language when they feel comfortable is also important. Keeping the other students engaged while teaching other students about the numerous languages is a fantastic way to encourage all students to learn about other cultures and identities. End of Haley

Sophia: Some of the benefits of translanguaging include better comprehension skills, mentalization of multiple languages, creating a welcoming environment, and conversing with numerous people, among many more. Translanguaging even increases the tolerance and understanding of other languages. If taught in school and these teachings are implemented these children will grow in an area where translanguaging is welcomed. Translanguaging is an extremely beneficial trait to have and when taught early we can mitigate the negative thoughts and misconceptions about being multilingual. Through our interviews with both projects, we were able to see how much translanguaging affects our daily lives. For instance, our students from Spain shared their documents with us to find research. In this document, he used both Spanish and English to convey his thoughts on this paper. This not only allowed for his comprehension but also ours. Another form of translanguaging that we used was pictures. We sent pictures of different research and links in order to get a holistic understanding.

What does translanguaging look like in schools? What are the effects of translanguaging?--

When teaching it’s important to remember what your purpose is. A teacher should bring lessons and activities down to the level of the students to make them more comfortable instead of expecting students to work harder to meet the needs of a teacher. Teaching lessons in multiple languages if possible, or allowing students to answer questions and complete assignments in the language they are most comfortable in can help to break down stereotypes and barriers about English not being someone’s first language. Something I hear a lot from immigrants who do not speak English well is that they feel they can’t show their entire personality in English, the language barrier stops them from being who they want to be. By letting a student work in languages other than English we are preventing the language barrier from impeding their learning.

Since we are well aware from this class that identity and language play a huge role in how one resents oneself, we must not forget to affirm translanguaging roles in students, especially young children. Teachers must be incredibly conscious of how they affirm and value their student's language choices. As educators, we must be incredibly mindful and understand that each student comes from a different background.
So I wanted to talk a little bit about my family and specifically my father’s experience being bilingual. My father grew up in Long Island, but his parents were Greek immigrants. His parents moved here in their late teens, and not only did they not speak English, they came from a very remote island in greece. They didn't have phones or cars, my grandmother didn’t even have an indoor bathroom in her childhood home in greece, so moving to america was a huge culture shock and they did not fit in. They didn’t know how kids were raised in America, and they didn’t understand the social norms, so when my dad was growing up, he felt he stuck out like a sore thumb. Greek was his first language, and it was the only language they spoke at home. He went into elementary school not knowing any English, and there were no children like him in his classes. He struggled to make friends when he was young and he always felt behind in school. He felt like an outcast because no one understood his culture. Throughout the semester I kept thinking about my father and how different his childhood would've been if his teachers thought more of kids like him. - end sophia

Desyre:
What is Translanguaging? What are the benefits?
Translanguaging is the ability to speak and think between different languages, almost like codeswitching. Translanguaging is all about a person being able to tap into their full linguistic repertoires. In schools students who natively speak Spanish but know a little English as well may read a question in English but think and make connections in Spanish. Another example of translanguaging is when someone writes primarily in one language but also adds words and phrases from another language.

Importance of translanguaging
It's important that teachers incorporate translanguaging into the classroom because it's beneficial for the students' learning. This can enhance their learning experience because now they are using their whole knowledge base to express themselves. Students also feel supported and accepted by being able to use more than one language. Now they can talk how they want to talk. This builds up their confidence as well because it gets rid of the idea that white mainstream English is the proper way to talk. This allows for the classroom to become a safe and comfortable space for students, they no longer have to worry about the way they speak to meet a certain standard or even to fit in.

Translanguaging in the classroom.
There are a multitude of ways Educators can incorporate translanguaging into their daily lessons and activities. Teachers can provide books and videos that use translanguaging. It's important that teachers encourage their students to talk, they can allow for group discussions in the students preferred language. Teachers can also make fun and simple interactive activities like having the students go around the classroom and labeling objects in multiple languages. Educators themselves can pick up words and phrases their students use and incorporate it into their vocabulary.
My personal experience
Having accepting teachers plays a big role when it comes to the student's comfortability to use translanguaging and express themselves how they see fit. Being a black person I use African American vernacular language, a dialect of English that many black people use. I remember being in class talking to my friends and we were using aave and our teacher called us out for speaking the way we did while trying to correct us. After this happened we no longer felt comfortable using aave around that teacher. Teachers need to stop forcing the idea that there's one way to speak English and accept everyone speaks differently. I think implementing translanguaging into classrooms is a great idea, I believe everyone can benefit from it. Learning about translanguaging has made me more aware and more accepting when I talk to people. It has also made me realize how much I use it in my everyday life. End of Desyre