“Adopting a translingual and social justice perspective in BELF education”<\/p>\n
Dr. Alessia Cogo<\/p>\n
Goldsmith, University of London<\/p>\n
Friday, December 16th, 2022, 4:30 pm \u20136:00 pm<\/p>\n
Bldg. 3 Room #601 (Waseda Campus)<\/p>\n
Free and open to everyone<\/p>\n
English (no translation)<\/p>\n
Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF) is a well established research area which has
\nproduced very interesting work in both sociolinguistic and pedagogic direction. Its impact was
\nparticularly prominent at the beginning of ELF research: findings showed the fluidity and
\nflexibility of BELF practices, including multilingual and intercultural aspects in the workplace,
\nand the open-minded orientation to norms, including moving away from native speaker
\nnormativity. The emphasis on multilingual resources in BELF is often referred to as \u2018inherently
\npotentially multilingual\u2019, but its multilingual potential is not always recognized or even
\nrepresented as an asset.
\nIn this talk, I will explore how a translanguaging perspective could contribute to BELF
\nand BELF education. I will report on the findings of previous BELF studies I have been
\ninvolved in and a current research project, which highlight the potential of translanguaging for
\ndeveloping BELF. Through the analysis of sociolinguistic conversations and attitudinal
\ninterview data, I will explore the tensions between multilingual ad-hoc practices and
\nmonolingual\/ native-like representations and ideologies in the workplace. I will then attempt
\nto address some of these from an educational perspective and provide some orientation as to
\nhow a translanguaging perspective could benefit BELF and BELF education.<\/p>\n