Innovative translanguaging strategies in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative analysis of EFL Saudi teachers

This case study explores pedagogical translanguaging in Saudi English language classrooms, focusing on strategies that promote culturally sustaining and emotionally supportive learning environments. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and group discussions with five experienced Saudi college instructors, capturing diverse perspectives on pedagogical translanguaging. The findings emphasize the importance of leveraging students' linguistic funds of knowledge through languaging techniques such as local dialects and collaborative dialogue. The study also highlights the role of translanguaging spaces in providing emotional support and scaffolding learning. These strategies enhance epistemic engagement, reducing boredom and frustration in a triglossic context and a banking system of education, where teachers have traditionally been the primary source of knowledge. The data underscore the importance of utilizing learners' full range of (non)linguistic abilities to deepen content engagement and normalize linguistic pluralism in a triglossic context. Through a translanguaging mindset, teachers can strategically shift from a traditional top-down model to a more inclusive, bottom-up approach, enabling students to cultivate agency in their learning. Limitations are acknowledged, suggesting that future critical ethnographic research can offer deeper insights into teachers' pedagogical translanguaging and students' natural techniques for utilizing their full linguistic repertoires in the classroom.