Carstens, Adelia2017-05-122016-07Adelia Carstens (2016) Translanguaging as a vehicle for L2 acquisition and L1 development: students’ perceptions, Language Matters, 47:2, 203-222, DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2016.1153135.1022-8195 (print)1753-5395 (online)10.1080/10228195.2016.1153135http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60345The purpose of the article is to report on a project aimed at exploring the use of translanguaging as a strategy to support bi-/multilingual students in acquiring academic literacy in English while promoting the terminologisation of African languages through exploratory scientific talk. The topic is contextualised by juxtaposing multilingualism as a problem with multilingualism as a resource. This is followed by a discussion of translanguaging as an alternative to monolingual education. An overview is given of a number of empirical studies on translanguaging conducted in South Africa during the past 15 years. Subsequently, I discuss a research project that elicited students’ opinions about translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy. Speakers of eight African languages, including Afrikaans, experienced cognitive and affective benefits. Despite some reservations, they also considered translanguaging to be a useful platform for creating technical terms in African languages, and were positive about future useen© 2016 University of South Africa Press. This is an electronic version of an article published in Language Matters : Studies in the Languages of Africa, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 203-222, 2016. doi : 10.1080/10228195.2016.1153135. Language Matters : Studies in the Languages of Africa is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.comtoc/rlms20.Academic literacyL1 developmentL2 acquisitionMultilingualismTerminologisationTranslanguagingPostprint Article