Navigating Multilingual Communication through AI-Mediated Technology among a Diverse Group of Adult Immigrant Learners in the United States

The growing linguistic diversity of adult immigrant learners has intensified the need for effective multilingual communication practices that can facilitate meaningful interaction between teachers and learners who do not share common linguistic repertoires. This study examines the pedagogical affordances and challenges of TalkingPoints, an AI-mediated multilingual communication technology, in supporting teacher–student interaction within an English language program for adult immigrant learners in Arizona, United States. Drawing on a practitioner-driven Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) conducted across three semesters and supplemented by learner perception survey data, the study examines how TalkingPoints supported communication practices in multilingual classrooms. Findings indicated that TalkingPoints facilitated translanguaging practices by enabling pre-lesson communication, post-lesson instructional support, and authentic teacher-student interaction beyond the classroom, providing learners with additional opportunities to engage with instructional communication through their preferred languages. Survey findings also indicated positive learner attitudes toward the platform. However, findings also reported some challenges including interpretive demands placed on teachers when learners respond in emerging English, as grammatical and syntactic inaccuracies occasionally obscured communicative intent. In general, effective use of AI-mediated multilingual communication technology depends not only on technological accessibility but also on teachers’ ability to interpret and respond to linguistically diverse communication.