Is ‘translanguaging’ an educational concept? A comparative bibliometric analysis of ‘translanguaging’ research from linguistic and the educational perspectives

Abstract

Translanguaging has become a prominent topic in linguistic research, as evidenced by its frequent appearance in high-impact scientific publications. The complexity of the concept has fostered interdisciplinary approaches to defining, clarifying and outlining its possible applications, particularly in the field of education. Currently, educational research is at the forefront of its scientific development and the concept seems to be more pedagogical than linguistic. This paper conducts a comparative bibliometric analysis of the concept of ‘translanguaging’ in linguistics (TRLA_LIN) (n = 868) and education (TRLA_EDU) (n = 753) on the Web of Knowledge (WoS) in order to determine whether the concept has evolved beyond its linguistic origins to become an educational one. Using WoS tools, we analysed the scientific production data. Additionally, we utilised the software SCIMAT to conduct bibliometric analysis, specifically, keyword analysis and thematic evolution of key terms. Following data analysis and discussion, this paper confirms that translanguaging is, and will increasingly be, a pedagogical concept.