Translanguaging and Pedagogical Dynamics in Cross-Cultural and Multilingual English Language Teaching in Zimbabwe and South Africa: Ethnolinguistic Assassin?
Beatrice Taringa 
& Tintswalo Vivian Manyike
Issue: Vol.6 No.6 Article 2 pp. 670 -687
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025662 | Published online 7th May, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Translanguaging discourse is gaining traction in language pedagogy across the southern African region. Many countries are currently wrestling with language planning and the implementation of education language policies. As a result of this complex situation, scholars have identified the emergence of translanguaging linguistic phenomenon. In an effort to promote inclusivity and diversity, this article aimed to examine the various forms, purposes, contexts, and implications of translanguaging in teaching and learning English as a second language (L2) instruction in selected schools in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Drawing from social reconstruction theory, the study employed an inductive qualitative approach, interpretivist epistemology, and constructivist ontology. Purposively sampled key informant teachers and school administrators were interviewed virtually using open-ended questions following an interview guide. Data was descriptively analysed using thematic web-like data analysis. The open and axial coding scheme and method of grounded theory were employed. Sub-themes, themes and global themes are built and woven into a reportable story about the study phenomenon. The findings revealed that translanguaging is a legitimate pedagogical strategy for bridging linguistic and cultural gaps in South African schools. However, it is still negatively perceived in Zimbabwe, where some scholars regard it as linguistic contamination. This article recommends reconsideration of the ‘translanguaging’ phenomenon in light of learners’ linguistic rights. This study contributes to the ongoing debates on the language in and of education from a decolonial perspective. It gives insights to stakeholders on the nature of the problems experiences by teachers and learners in English as L2 learning spaces in Zimbabwe and South African schools.
Keywords: Code-Switching, Languaging Education, Translanguaging
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Dr. Beatrice Taringa hold a Doctor of Philosophy in Education. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Language Education, Arts and Culture at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She is a consultant, and she participated on Curriculum Review for Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (2022-2023) in Zimbabwe. She has research interests in Curriculum Issues in Language Education; Language and Education, Language and Gender, Culture and Human Rights in Education. She is the author of the Three-dimensional Grounded Gender Representation theory that guides in selection of gender sensitive instructional materials. Email taringabeatrice@gmail.com, Orcid id https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0652-9728.
Professor Tintswalo Vivian Manyike is a full Professor. She is a holder of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, Master of Education and Bachelor of Education Degrees in Teaching Language and Literature in Classroom. Her Research interests are in, Assessment in Language Education, Language Teaching and Learning, Methodologies and Approaches of Language Teaching & Teaching Language and Literature in a Classroom. She is a Steering Committee Member of the London international Conference on Education, an International Chair of the Ireland international Conference on Education & Consulting editor for the international Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education. She has awards, 2016 UNISA Women Excellence in Research Award &Black South African Scholarship, Seattle Washington, USA. Email Address: manyitv@unisa.ac.za, orcid no. 0000-0001-8086-4439.
Taringa, Beatrice and Tintswalo Vivian Manyike. “Translanguaging and Pedagogical Dynamics in Cross-Cultural and Multilingual English Language Teaching in Zimbabwe and South Africa: Ethnolinguistic Assassin?,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.6 (2025): 670 – 687. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025662
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
