The literature on Translanguaging has exploded in the last years, focusing on views of multilingualism, language ideologies, raciolinguistic hierarchies and pedagogical practices. Translanguaging is commonly understood as going beyond named languages, language as linguistic systems and additive bilingualism. It understands languages as social, political and cultural constructs and rejects the idea of languages as linguistic entities (Makoni & Pennycook, 2007). This perspective creates tensions for language-in-education policies and practices in many European contexts owing to curricular aims and the hierarchical position of the language(s) of instruction and home languages. For example, while policies in many European countries call for multilingualism, they simultaneously emphasize native-like competence in the dominant language(s) (Alstad & Sopanen, 2020). By contrast, translanguaging pedagogies call for inclusive, learner-centred and transglossic learning arrangements that leverage students’ entire semiotic repertoire for learning. Findings suggest that pedagogical translanguaging contributes to language learning and raises academic achievement (e.g., García & Sylvan, 2011; Lewis et al., 2012). These studies have mainly focused on school contexts and research on translanguaging in early childhood education and care (ECEC) remains rare.

The present symposium takes up the question of translanguaging as pedagogical practice in ECEC in Norway, Italy and Luxembourg and discusses ideologies, practices and interactions both theoretically and with empirical findings. While the countries differ in their linguistic landscapes and educational policies, teachers have nevertheless been found to draw on translanguaging to varying degrees and in so-called “second” and “foreign language” classes and in “multilingual education” (Kirsch & Bergeron, 2023; Pesch, 2021). In Norway, Norwegian is the main language in ECEC, while Sámi is the main language in Sámi ECEC, but all ECEC teachers are required to turn linguistic diversity into a resource for all children and encourage multilingual children to use their mother tongue. Preschool children in Italian kindergartens in the autonomous province of South Tyrol participate in L2 German and L3 English activities taught by foreign language teachers. Other home languages, however, are no taken into account. The situation differs in the officially trilingual country of Luxembourg where a program of multilingual education requires the professionals to familiarize children with Luxembourgish and French and value their home languages, for example through collaborating with parents. In sum, while different, the three countries strive to implement effective and inclusive multilingual practices. Given that all European countries need to find ways to address language diversity in education, this symposium addresses relevant questions that shape educational practices. 

The first paper by Anja Maria Pesch and Gunhild Tomter Alstad from Norway explores the ongoing international discussion on translanguaging as appropriate for supporting multilingual children in their language development in ECEC in Norway. They discuss which important challenges translanguaging brings to ECEC, how translanguaging relates to central elements such as the view of the child, and how the concept needs to be contextualized when applied in the Norwegian ECEC. The second paper by Marjan Asgari and Renata Zanin examines children's multilingual language acquisition in Italian kindergartens. The findings show that the teachers' support for translanguaging between the L1 Italian and the target languages L2 German, L3 English varies, with very limited inclusion of heritage languages. Secondly, the authors found a disparity between teachers’ low complexity of output prompting and children’s high receptive competence during L2 and L3 activities. The final paper by Claudine Kirsch and Valérie Kemp explores children’s use of their linguistic repertoire and the roles they play when parents come to the ECEC setting to read in home languages. The findings show that translanguaging, which depends on the educators’ pedagogy, empowers children who act as mediators and encourage the participation of peers and adults. 

Alstad, G. T., & Sopanen, P. (2020). Language orientations in early childhood education policy in Finland and Norway. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2020.1862951   García, O., & Kleifgen, J. A. (2019). Translanguaging and Literacies. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(4), 553–571. Kirsch, C. & Bergeron-Morin, L. (2023): Educators, parents and children engaging in literacy activities in multiple languages: an exploratory study. International Journal of Multilingualism, 20(4), 1386–1403. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2023.2195658 Lewis, G., Jones, B., Baker, C. (2012). Translanguaging: developing its conceptualisation and contextualisation, Educational Research and Evaluation. International Journal on Theory and Practice, 18(7), 655–670. Makoni, S. & Pennycook, A. (2007). Disinventing and Reconstituting Languages. Multilingual Matters.   Pesch, A. M. (2021). "They call me anneanne!" Translanguaging as a theoretical and pedagogical challenge and opportunity in the kindergarten context of Norway. Acta Borealia. A Nordic Journal of Circumpolar Societies. 10.1080/08003831.2021.1911200