Translanguaging in Sweden : A critical review from an international perspective

‘Translanguaging’ is nowadays an umbrella term referring to either the framework of ‘spontaneous translanguaging’ from the United States or that of ‘pedagogical translanguaging’ from the Basque Country. Both these frameworks propose ways of integrating languages in school, but they adopt very different perspectives on multilingualism, language education and minority languages. This article starts out with a discussion of spontaneous and pedagogical translanguaging as related to their sociolinguistic and educational contexts and a discussion of multilingualism in Sweden. This is followed by a critical review of academic publications on translanguaging published by researchers affiliated to Swedish universities between 2017 – the year in which the distinction between spontaneous and pedagogical translanguaging is featured in the literature – and 2023. The analysis shows that whereas spontaneous translanguaging is highly influential, pedagogical translanguaging generally plays a very understated role. Linked to the current discourse about multilingualism in Sweden, most researchers discuss translanguaging in relation to the social inclusion of students with a foreign background, who are referred to as ‘the multilingual students’, rather than to teaching languages to the whole student population. A central goal of the Swedish educational system, however, is to promote all students' multilingualism by teaching multiple languages, including foreign languages as well as any official or immigrant minority language a student uses at home. We call, therefore, for more attention to pedagogical translanguaging and we claim the importance of adapting translanguaging to the challenges of each society.