Innovation in Language Learning
Translanguaging, Multilingualism and European Language Education Policy: Implications for Teacher Education
Konstantinos Chatzidimou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Abstract
Linguistic diversity is a defining feature of contemporary European societies and increasingly of European classrooms. European Union language education policy has progressively emphasised multilingual competence, linguistic diversity and inclusive approaches to language learning. In particular, the Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages [1] places multilingual competence within the broader objectives of the European Education Area and calls for greater language awareness in education. This orientation is complemented by the plurilingual perspective of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which recognises learners’ linguistic and cultural repertoires as dynamic and interconnected resources [2]. At the same time, research on multilingual education increasingly challenges monolingual approaches to language teaching, with translanguaging emerging as a pedagogical perspective that recognizes learners’ entire linguistic repertoires as resources for learning. Building on previous work examining translanguaging as a pedagogical approach in multilingual classrooms [3], the present paper shifts the focus from classroom practices to the European policy context. It examines the relationship between translanguaging, multilingualism and European language education policy, with particular emphasis on implications for initial and continuing teacher education. Drawing on a critical analysis of selected European policy documents and relevant scholarship on multilingual and translanguaging pedagogies, the paper explores the extent to which current European policy orientations provide conceptual and institutional space for pedagogical practices that move beyond the traditional separation of languages. The analysis focuses on three interconnected dimensions: the recognition of learners’ multilingual repertoires, the development of language-aware and inclusive learning environments, and the competences required of teachers working in linguistically diverse classrooms. It argues that translating European commitments to multilingualism into educational practice requires teacher education to move beyond preparing teachers exclusively for the instruction of a single, clearly bounded language. Future and practicing language teachers need opportunities to develop critical multilingual awareness and the ability to strategically mobilize learners’ linguistic resources. The paper concludes by proposing directions for integrating translanguaging-oriented competences into teacher education and highlights their potential contribution to European objectives concerning multilingualism, inclusion and quality language education.
Keywords: translanguaging; multilingualism; European language education policy; teacher education; linguistic diversity
REFERENCES
[1] Council of the European Union. (2019). Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages. Official Journal of the European Union, C 189, 15-22.
[2] Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment – Companion Volume. Council of Europe Publishing.
[3] Chatzidimou, K. (2025). Translanguaging in Language Education: Pedagogical Practices for Multilingual Classrooms. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference “The Future of Education”. Filodiritto Editore.
