What do we mean by learners' other languages?
This article uses the term 'learners' other languages', rather than terms like 'first language' ('L1') or 'mother tongue', to recognise the diversity and complexity of linguistic profiles and backgrounds. Take the example of Jia Wei, who uses Mandarin at school in class, Malay and English with his friends and Hokkien with his family. Or Devayani, whose father speaks Gujarati and whose mother is Marathi, so at home English is the common family language. For these learners, codeswitching (changing between languages, often mid sentence) and translanguaging (changing flexibly between languages to communicate, think or learn) are a part of everyday life. They may not have one dominant language, and naming an L1 or mother tongue may be impossible.
Why is using other languages important in ELT?
Perhaps in the past, the aim for learners of English was to be prepared for English-only environments. These days, as English becomes a global language and the lingua franca (common language) in many academic, professional and political fields, learners are more likely to be using it with other second language users. As a result, sounding like a native speaker is not necessarily their goal. Instead, English is one of several tools a speaker can use, and good communication is the main objective.
Whereas in the past other languages were excluded from the English classroom, a growing bank of research demonstrates that valuing learners' other identities and competencies is actually beneficial to learning English. When learners access their other languages in the English classroom, it does not prevent acquisition but in fact supports it. Studies also show that learners benefit from a teacher's competence in a shared language. They can tap into that knowledge to support the development of English by making comparisons between the languages, for example, or understanding where difficulties lie for learners with a certain language background.
On a practical level, learners are increasingly exposed to multiple languages outside the classroom through the internet, social media and streaming services. They have instant access to translation facilities through their phone. It makes sense to help them to navigate this environment effectively and understand how to evaluate different translation tools.
How can I use other languages in the classroom?
It's possible that you are already using other languages in your classroom in certain situations – perhaps to give or clarify instructions, or maybe to provide a quick translation of emergent language. Maybe your learners use it when they struggle to explain something in English.
We can categorise these uses into three main ways you can support your learners.
- To explain concepts – this could be to teach or clarify core language concepts such as vocabulary or grammatical structures.
- To help explain the lesson – to ensure the lesson runs more smoothly by giving objectives or instructions in another language or to help get learners back on task.
- To help develop relationships or social connections – other languages can be used to support a less confident learner, to build rapport with lower-level learners or deal with sensitive situations.
Of course, despite the clear benefits for learners, there may also be challenges for teachers.
- You might not share a language with your learners or don't feel sufficiently confident speaking their language. In this case, you can use your learners and their expertise. They are the experts in their languages, so allow them to demonstrate their knowledge. Empower learners by nominating a student to clarify your instructions or ask the class for the best way to express something in their language.
- Set boundaries about when and how you use other languages in class. Discuss this with your learners and involve them in the decisions. Explain the benefits to learners, especially if this is a significant change in your teaching.
- Start small, particularly if your classroom is currently English only. Introduce changes gradually to allow your learners to adjust.
Ideas for the classroom
There are many activities you can plan to take advantage of the languages within your group. Remember, not every activity will be suitable for every context, so think carefully about the needs and diversity of your group and what you are trying to achieve. Here are some ideas for inspiration.
Class language profile: Do a survey of the different languages used in your group, including when, why and with whom learners use them. Create posters to present the results.
Why? This helps learners see the range of cultural identities within their groups and understand how people use language(s) in different ways.
Idea generation: Get learners to think of ideas for projects, discussions and writing tasks in their own language, then do the task in English. If learners speak a common language, they can do this together.
Why? This can reduce the cognitive load of tasks and help learners to think of ideas for more challenging concepts. It can help with self-expression and allow learners to more easily access existing knowledge or engage with the topic. Often, learners come up with more ideas than when doing so in English, which can help to make the task itself more successful.
Reverse translation: In pairs, learners translate a short text into another language, swap texts with another pair, then translate their new text back into English. Finally, they compare the translation with the original and find any differences.
Why? Translation activities can help learners see structural differences between languages and help them avoid word-for-word translations. Activities like this develop noticing skills and can help to address interference errors. Additionally, they can give you an insight into your learners' languages.
Transferable skills: Discuss strategies that help learners with reading and writing in their other languages. For example, what sort of preparation do they do when writing in their own language? How do they deal with unknown words in a text? Then encourage learners to think how these strategies could be applied to English.
Why? This helps learners to see how they are building on their existing language competence rather than learning English in isolation. It gives learners confidence that they already have useful tools and strategies that can help them with English.
Hopefully, these ideas will help you introduce, or build on, the use of other languages in your classroom. English should always be the main focus, of course. Your classes may be the main or only source of English input for your learners, and they need maximum exposure and practice. And remember that every classroom is different. Only you can determine how much use of other languages is right for your groups, but, if carefully exploited, their use can greatly benefit your learners' development of English.
The content of this article is based on the British Council Teaching Excellence 'Statement of approach on the use of learners’ (other) languages in English teaching and learning at the British Council'. This internal facing document sets out the British Council position on the use of languages other than English in our teaching centres.
Sangeeta Sathe has worked in ELT for 13 years as a teacher, trainer, writer, academic manager and examiner. Sangeeta currently specialises in preparing learners for Cambridge exams. Her work as a writer includes materials for the EU's Erasmus+ programme, the British Council and Cambridge University Press and Assessment.