The Impact of Lecturers’ Language Histories on Translanguaging Practices at a South African University

The power imbalances in South Africa’s linguistic landscape perpetuated a monolingual approach to education, marginalising Indigenous languages and creating challenges for educators and students. Translanguaging addresses the gap between multilingual repertoires and monolingual approaches to teaching and learning. However, little is known about the role of lecturers’ language histories, shaped by social, cultural, and institutional factors, in shaping attitudes towards translanguaging practices. Research on how lecturers’ personal and professional language experiences mediate engagement with translanguaging in linguistically and culturally diverse settings is limited. Drawing on the translanguaging paradigm, socio-cultural theory, and cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this qualitative case study investigates the impact of the language histories of seven lecturers on the translanguaging practices at a selected South African university. Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis uncovered recurring influences, patterns, and contradictions in the lecturers’ narratives. The study reveals that lecturers’ language histories shape their attitudes towards translanguaging both positively and negatively.