Reimagining Translanguaging Through Arts‐Based Pedagogical Translation

This Conceptual Feature article introduces arts‐based pedagogical translation as a translanguaging and dialogic approach that positions multilingual learners as active creators, collaborators, and meaning‐makers across languages and modes. Through two illustrative examples in the Northeastern United States—(1) a collaborative translation project in a teacher education setting and (2) a community‐based theater program for adult ELLs that incorporated translation—we explore how this approach fosters linguistic agency, affirms learner identity, and deepens cross‐cultural understanding for both educators and students. We aim to offer a conceptual and practice‐centered discussion of how arts‐based pedagogical translation disrupts deficit perspectives of language learners and opens translanguaging spaces. We conclude by discussing implications for teacher education, TESOL practitioners, and literacy educators interested in integrating arts‐based pedagogical translation as a translanguaging practice into their work.