Translation And Translanguaging: Cardiff

Translation and Translanguaging: Investigating Linguistic and Cultural Transformations in Superdiverse Wards in Four UK Cities

Cardiff University’s CLCR, in collaboration with University of Birmingham’s MOSAIC Centre for Research on Multilingualism, is conducting a four-year investigation to develop new understandings of multilingual communication in cities in the UK. The research project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of its Translating Cultures theme.

The study, Translation and Translanguaging: Investigating Linguistic and Cultural Transformations in Superdiverse Wards in Four UK Cities, is a collaboration between academic researchers, non-academic partners, and community stakeholders. It is also a partnership between four UK universities and the private, public, and third sectors. The interdisciplinary research programme will generate new knowledge about how people interact in superdiverse cities. The research findings will inform policy locally, nationally, and internationally.

The aim of the project is to understand how people communicate multilingually across diverse languages and cultures. Previous research in multilingual communities has found that speakers are not confined to using languages separately, but rather they 'translanguage' as they make meaning. When speakers do not share a common language they may rely on translation by professionals, friends or family, or by digital means. Researchers in this study will closely observe interactions where translation and translanguaging are in play.

The research team will conduct detailed linguistic ethnographic investigations in superdiverse wards in each of four cities in England and Wales: Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, and London. The research will produce knowledge of the role of multilingualism as a resource. The research will be conducted in institutional sites in each ward, including the sectors of business and entrepreneurship, sport, libraries and museums, and legal advice. Researchers will look at language practices in public, private, and digital settings. Outcomes will inform policy on economic growth, health and well-being, sport, cultural heritage, and law, informing the work of policy-makers and public, private and third sector organisations.

The research team will work closely with partner organisations including Migrants’ Rights Network, Sporting Equals, Library of Birmingham, Law Centres Network, Birmingham Museums Trust, Business in the Community, and Midland Heart.