Meg Holden argues that the singular, dominant register of Western science and English language is why we still have not created a just, ecological future. However, cities already host combinations of languages and imaginations that are not leveraged to their full potential in urban transformations. Translanguaging framework can help unlock that potential.
Translanguaging differs from multilingualism by aiming to preserve relationships of languages. Holden brings up an example of Salish languages, which have not blended over time despite existing in a small area, because a blend would not accurately reflect the life of the people. As another example of translanguaging, she brings up Cree Tomson Highway’s take: to him, Cree is the language of joy, English of intelligence, and French of emotion.
According to Holden, translanguaging research framework consists of four districts: spread, grounding, evolution, and appeal, each focusing on different research questions or topics: 1. How words change across languages, 2. How knowledge is invested in languages, 3. How language evolves in context, 4. Language that hides and that persuades.
Some examples of spreading words and concepts to other languages include terms such as “hygge” from Danish. These words are often something that cannot be translated. As an example of grounding, Holden explains how Indigenous law and Canadian law coexist.
Evolution can happen in different districts, which includes metrolingualism, the creation of urban dialects, and sustainability; these words are not culturally specific, and their translations can feel imposed. Holden argues that using words already familiar in the target language, such as “mottanai” (do not be wasteful) in Japanese, can be more effective in communicating sustainability than direct translations. Appeal, on the other hand, studies buzzwords, such as “pörriäisbuffet” in Finnish.
The last takeaway from Holden was that cities are language-rich, and our capacities to utilize different languages will grow the more we pay attention to them, and that we need to keep an open mind, focusing on the possibilities instead of fearing not finding a compromise. Translanguaging can help in correcting injustices, enhancing inclusivity, and creating resonating terms and concepts, without needing full mastery of languages.
Watch the recording of the seminar