Unravelling translanguaging: a critical appraisal.

The article critically examines the concept of translanguaging, a widely used term in multilingualism research and English language teaching (ELT), highlighting its broad and often vague definitions. Originally coined by Cen Williams in 1994 to describe bilingual language alternation in educational contexts, translanguaging has evolved to encompass diverse pedagogical practices involving the use of learners' first languages (L1) to support second language acquisition. Despite its popularity, the article notes a lack of empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of translanguaging for language learning or social benefits and challenges the theoretical claims of a unitary bilingual language system. The author argues for a fundamental reevaluation of translanguaging, recommending either clearer operationalization grounded in research or abandoning the term in favor of alternatives like plurilingualism.