Translanguaging as a Motivational Scaffold in LX Medium of Learning: Evidence From Translator Training

Abstract

ABSTRACT English‐medium instruction (EMI) has been spreading rapidly as an LX medium of learning. Therein lies an urgent need to understand the ways in which multilingual students use their full linguistic repertoires in cognitively demanding settings, such as translator training. This mixed‐methods study investigates the impact of translanguaging on motivation among 113 applied linguistics students who specialise in Polish‐English‐German translation at a Polish university. Quantitative data from an adapted L2 motivational self‐system questionnaire and qualitative insights from reflective journals and semi‐structured interviews provide evidence that translanguaging operates as a motivational scaffold by supporting cognitive flow, reducing anxiety and allowing for collaborative meaning‐making. Students perceived translanguaging as legitimising their multilingual repertoires, strengthening agency and aligning the emerging ideal translator selves with authentic multilingual professional practices. Regression analyses confirmed that perceived usefulness rather than the frequency of translanguaging predicts higher confidence and more positive LX learning experiences. The current study provides empirical evidence supporting calls to reconceptualise EMI as a multilingual medium of learning and argues that identifying translanguaging as a legitimate epistemic resource is of crucial importance to foster motivation and identity development in specialised higher education programs.

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