Is Translanguaging Just Repackaged Code-Switching?

1. Two Names for One Phenomenon?

When I was first introduced to the term "translanguaging," I was confused. I came across an article that described it as a practice where "... people are using resources from different languages together, with very little regard for what we might call the 'boundaries' of named languages [...]. They are using elements of each language together to communicate more effectively. [...] it's about using all your language resources to communicate" (Eal_Journal, 2016, para. 3).

To me, this sounded exactly like the concept of code-switching. How were they truly different?

A common analogy is often presented to clarify this for those who are puzzled with the same question. Code-switching is said to view languages as separate systems, like two or more distinct toolboxes. A speaker consciously chooses which toolbox to open based on the context or the person they are speaking with (Han, 2015). In contrast, translanguaging claims that multilinguals have a single, integrated linguistic repertoire from the start – one large toolbox – from which they strategically select the best "tools" to communicate (García & Wei, 2014).

However, this analogy doesn't make the distinction any clearer for me. Why can't we simply consider those separate toolboxes (as in code-switching) as stored in one large warehouse – a unifying system – with the language user freely drawing whatever is needed from any of them? From this perspective, code-switching would look exactly like translanguaging describing the same fundamental behaviour. It seems like the new concept is simply reshuffling the core components of the old one and presenting them in a different package.

It reminds me of two people standing facing each other and pointing in one direction. For one, it's to the left; for the other, it's to the right. They argue, yet they are both essentially correct, simply describing the same thing from opposite viewpoints (Przymus, 2023).

Personally, I see translanguaging and code-switching as interchangeable terms. I believe it is a matter of perspective and personal choice which concept one sees as the correct one. Both terms describe the same phenomenon with an identical outcome, and both celebrate a learner's skill. Translanguaging, for instance, views bilinguals as having "one linguistic repertoire with features that are strategically deployed" (García & Kleyn, 2016, p. 15), while code-switching frames it as a "skilled selection of the correct code" (Gardner-Chloros, 2009, p. 4). As linguist Kim Potowski explains, code-switching is not a random mix but a skilled practice: "Linguists know that [code-switching] is absolutely rule-governed behavior. You can't switch willy-nilly at any point in the sentence that you want. We also know that code-switching requires very strong levels of syntax in order to not violate the structures of either language as you're going back and forth, so it requires high degrees of bilingualism to do this" (Potowski, 2013, 13:53-14:12).

Ultimately, I think both terms describe the incredible ability of the human brain to operate multiple languages flawlessly. Whatever we call it, it is still brilliant.

2. Implications of Translanguaging

While the theoretical debate is interesting, the more important question is: what are the practical implications of this new concept for teaching?

First, translanguaging is a powerful tool for affirming linguistic human rights and preserving marginalized languages. This includes languages spoken by immigrant communities, which may be majority languages in their home countries but become oppressed and silenced due to the desire to assimilate in a new environment. As Kim Potowski (2013) mentions, the shift from speaking heritage language to monolingual English use usually happens within one or two generations of immigrants in the USA, leading future generations to lose their ancestral tongue and linguistic heritage. As García and Flores (2012) note, multilingual pedagogies have the "potential for education to revitalize languages that had been oppressed," which is crucial for minority language groups (p. 235).

Second, translanguaging is an effective strategy for content learning in subjects like geography, math, and chemistry. As Potowski (2013) argues, learning a subject in an incomprehensible language only leads to creating a gap in learning which grows bigger year after year. Allowing students to access complex information and discuss concepts in their stronger language prevents the creation of those gaps, provides necessary scaffolding, and creates the comprehensible input essential for mastering content, not just language (Krashen, 1982).

Third, translanguaging can significantly aid language acquisition itself. Often thought as beneficial for learning languages, monolingual classroom environment creates stressful and disadvantageous learning space where students can feel isolated and limited to express their abilities and knowledge (Cummins, 2007; García & Sylvan, 2011). On the other hand, "a plurilingual approach ... – one that embraces diversity and encourages awareness of heritage languages – not only improves psychological wellbeing, but helps [children] learn English faster" (Guardian, 2022). This creates a supportive, stress-free environment which lowers the mental barriers to acquisition – the concept of the "affective filter" that was described by Krashen (1982).

Fourth, this approach also fosters cross-cultural understanding. For example, when teaching Chinese children about families, I learned that Mandarin has distinct words for "older brother" (哥哥 gēge) and "younger brother" (弟弟 dìdi). Furthermore, due to the former one-child policy, many children assign the role of siblings to their cousins. This knowledge helped me interpret their answers accurately and respect their cultural reality. Similarly, in Russian, there are two different words for "married" depending on the spouse's gender, which would cause confusion in a direct translation task without context. Understanding these nuances allows teachers to anticipate challenges, adjust instruction, and facilitate better learning, showing students that their linguistic heritage is welcomed.

3. Finding Balance 

There is no argument that translanguaging has a lot of benefits. My problem with it is that the way it’s presented and described sounds like a political stance. I understand where it comes from – scholars like Ofelia García work in contexts like the USA and witness the problem with immigrant language being supressed. As Constant Leung discussed, “… in the United States there is a very oppressive public atmosphere at the moment. 28 of the 50 states have passed English-only legislation, […] which says all public transactions […] cannot be in any other language than English” (Frank Monaghan, 2016, 14:48-15:33). In such environment, translanguaging could be, as I acknowledged earlier, a powerful tool for affirming linguistic human rights and preserving marginalized languages.

But this raises a question: what to do in places where languages are not oppressed, where linguistic heritage is respected, and where people of different cultures, religions, and races coexist without pointing fingers at each other? In case you are wondering where it is, I want to say, from my own experience, that it’s Southeast Asia. So should we just take a system that was born from the need to revitalize minority languages and apply it in its original form worldwide?

I think, if translanguaging means to celebrate language and heritage diversity but we adopt a one-size-fits-all model and apply one set of academic rules to every classroom, we'll contradict the very principle of celebrating individual diversity. Furthermore, If we lean too much on the support of other languages and place too much emphasis on them, the target language acquisition may suffer. 

In my opinion, a better approach is to see teaching methodologies as a toolkit or a means of transportation to get learners from point A to point B. And that B could be divided into multiple smaller B's each representing a certain language skill. And as I would choose the best transport for a different destination point – driving a car to another city, but walking to the supermarket across the road – educators must select the right strategy for each specific learning objective. Translanguaging is a powerful vehicle for certain journeys but it may not be the most efficient vehicle to reach every single "Point B" in language acquisition. As educators, our role is to understand the full spectrum of approaches and wisely apply them to meet the diverse needs of our students.

As an English teacher, I have personal experience with translanguaging, even though I didn't know how to label it at the time. At the beginning of my career in China, I worked in training centers that enforced a strict "no Chinese" policy. Translation was prohibited, which I strongly disagreed with. I often had to teach grammar and concepts that were impossible to explain only in English. I could spend an hour struggling to explain something that could have been clarified in the students' first language in just a minute. Needless to say, it was stressful and frustrating for everyone. Correct answers given in Chinese were discouraged, creating the exact kind of environment that produces individuals who struggle to use English in the future.

Now, working in a kindergarten, the situation is different. I can use the phrase from the previously mentioned Guardian article to describe it: "We speak whatever language gets the job done." What is important for me is that my students feel comfortable and know they can express their thoughts and ideas in either English or Chinese. Although we have a separation of languages by time – English in the morning, Chinese in the afternoon – the students know they can use either language at any time and will not be "punished" for it. And what can I say – my students thrive. They are only four years old, but their language skills, cognitive development, and physical skills are impressive.

4. Conclusion

In the end, I think it comes down to creating a healthy environment: language is not the only prerequisite for that, but one part of a combination of factors. After learning about translanguaging and its use as a pedagogical practice, I can say that it is definitely one of the factors. By applying its fundamental principles – social justice and social practice (García & Flores, 2012) – we prepare students to be effective and empathetic communicators in a complex, multilingual world.

At the beginning, I was arguing that translanguaging was just a repackaged code-switching. I still hold that view, but I can't deny the fact that with this new name came new pedagogical methods – ones that are helping us embrace language diversity, respect linguistic heritage, revitalize minority languages, and develop new language learning strategies.

 

References:

Cummins, J. (2007). Rethinking monolingual instructional strategies in multilingual classrooms. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(2), 221-240.

Eal_Journal. (2016, July 26). What is translanguaging? EAL Journal. https://ealjournal.org/2016/07/26/what-is-translanguaging/

Frank Monaghan. (2016, February 2). NALDIC [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIn-wAlB30E

García, O., & Flores, N. (2012). Multilingual pedagogies. In M. Martin-Jones, A. Blackledge, & A. Creese (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of multilingualism (pp. 232-246). Routledge.

García, O., & Kleyn, T. (Eds.). (2016). Translanguaging with multilingual students: Learning from classroom moments. Routledge.

García, O., & Sylvan, C. E. (2011). Pedagogies and practices in multilingual classrooms: Singularities in pluralities. The Modern Language Journal, 95(3), 385-400.

García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Palgrave Macmillan.

Gardner-Chloros, P. (2009). Code-switching. Cambridge University Press.

Han, Y. (2015). Code-switching. In The Routledge encyclopedia of language and education (2nd ed., pp. 123-127).

Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.

Przymus, S. D. (2023). Problematizing the theory-practice gap: How the metaphors of code-switching and translanguaging inform the pedagogical approaches of bilingual educators. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 26(5), 609-624. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2023.2170459

TedX Talks. (2013, May 3). No child left monolingual: Kim Potowski at TEDxUofIChicago [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSs1uCnLbaQ

The Guardian. (2022, September 4). Britain's multilingual children: 'We speak whatever language gets the job done'. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/04/britains-multilingual-children-we-speak-whatever-language-gets-the-job-done-

 

AI tools (DeepSeek) were used for checking grammar, punctuation and the APA layout; all content was researched and composed by the author