Cultivating translingual and transcultural competence in a multilingual university

Abstract

.

Globalisation and its sibling, internationalisation, have led to the development of multilingual, multicultural universities, which are often branded as pathways to global success. However, these universities may not adequately consider the challenges that stakeholders face in adapting to these new environments. This paper investigates the implications of internationalisation for policy, pedagogy and practice by surveying policy, faculty, staff, and students of three multilingual programmes at a Spanish university. A document analysis, questionnaire, interviews, and focus groups were used to explore institutional strategy, student identity and agency, teacher pedagogy and practice, and staff guidance and support. The study applied a translingual and transcultural competence lens that focused on critical awareness, reflexivity, and the ability to operate between languages and cultures while building relationships. The findings reveal a strong programmatic focus on multilingual and intercultural development, a wide range of plurilingual and pluricultural identification and practices among students, the centrality of a teacher's role in facilitating and modelling translingual and transcultural competence, and a presently underexplored at-home/abroad nexus. The study implies a need for more community building beyond the classroom and across domestic and international students, greater empowerment of teachers, and a need for students to reflect and engage with each other.