Do They Appreciate Diversity? University Students’ Approach to Linguistic and Cultural Pluralism

Abstract

This chapter reports on research designed to investigate university students' perceptions of linguistic and cultural pluralism.An open exploratory research approach was taken in order to gain more insight into the mindsets on cultural reflexivity and plurilingualism of young adults.To accomplish this, a smallscale, questionnaire-based study was conducted at the Department of Translation Studies at an Austrian University, more precisely, with students of the Bachelor's degree programme Transcultural Communication.The analysis reveals German-as-L2 students' perceptions of the role of languages as well as their deliberate decisions regarding the use of linguistic resources in different areas of life, such as study activities or recreational activities.The purpose of this chapter is to emphasise the fact that multilingual higher education in the field of Transcultural Communication and Translation Studies is in need of inclusive learning environments where the linguistic and cultural resources of all learners are appreciated.Accordingly, a possible teaching practice is presented, adopting the concept of Translanguaging.

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