The power of multilingualism

• Ask the class How many languages do you know? Get answers from all learners and write them on the board. Identify the level of bilingualism or multilingualism in the class. Highlight that languages can be acquired through different means and are used in different contexts for different purposes. 
• Give each learner a copy of the worksheet or show slide 3. First, they individually complete the table. You can show them the examples on slide 4 for support. 
• In small groups learners share and discuss their answers using the follow-up questions on slide 5/on the worksheet.  
• Alternatively, they could do a mingle after completing the table, finding people in the class who share the same languages as them and comparing how they learned and use them. 

• Ask learners to share their ideas from the last discussion question (benefits) and write some of these on the board. Learners now read the article to find if any of the benefits they mentioned are included.  
• Learners read the article again, if needed, and answer the questions on slide 7/on the worksheet individually or in pairs before sharing in small groups. Check answers with slide 8 if needed. 
• Answer key: 1-c, 2-b, 3-more job opportunities, a competitive edge over others, possibly higher salaries, 4-improve memory, problem-solving skills, and delay cognitive decline due to ageing 

Optional extension: use the video to check/introduce more benefits of being multilingual. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQJ8HPrFkSI&ab_channel=BritishCouncil  

• Show the questions on slide 9 (or on the worksheet) to elicit how often learners use translation for learning the meaning of new words, how useful they find it and what they use (e.g. online tools, dictionaries, teacher or peer support). 
• Highlight that translation is a common and efficient way of checking understanding of new vocabulary as usually the concept exists in other languages.  
• Show learners the four phrases (verb–noun collocations) in the table on slide 10 or on the worksheet). They could find them in the article to see how they are used. 
• Learners translate the phrases into another language using their preferred method. (If short on time, they could choose two.) 
• Get feedback from the activity using the questions on slide 10/the worksheet. Ask if learners had any problems and highlight that literal translation isn't always possible; all languages have collocations (words that go together), but the words are not always the same. 
• Learners go back through the article underlining new words. They choose at least three and write them in the table on slide 11/the worksheet and find their translation. 
• If learners share another first language, they could swap worksheets with a partner and find and share translations of each other's words.  
• When learners have finished, ask them to discuss the question on slide 12/the worksheet. If your learners find this difficult, you could feed in some ideas, such as thinking first in another language, translating into multiple languages to notice differences or similarities, using languages you already know to guess the meaning of vocabulary, comparing structures in different languages.  

Notes: Research is increasingly showing that languages should not be learned in isolation. Learners should be encouraged to bring their other languages into the classroom. (See below).  

• Benefits of using translation/other languages: 
  • Working together to translate in a group helps people talk deeply about what words mean and how they're used, pushing them to find similar words in another language. 
  • Translating can make it easier for beginners to write, letting them think in their own language first and then switch to the new one.
  • Translating is like real life, especially now with the internet, where we often need to understand and convert language from one to another. 
  • Comparing languages during translation helps us see differences in structure, lexis, idioms, etc. and identify interference caused by our main language.
  • Teachers can tailor translation activities to target specific learning objectives such as vocabulary, grammar, styles and registers. 

• Drawbacks: 
  • Translation may take up a lot of time in class, reducing learners' exposure and practice of the target language.  
  • The skills involved in translation may not be suitable for all kinds of learners. It may, for example, be best for learners who are more analytical or have preferences for verbal-linguistic learning strategies. It may not be suitable either for young learners or lower levels.  
  • Effective translation activities require a motivated class. 
  • The teacher may need to have knowledge of learners' other languages. 
  • Translating may take time and be challenging, so teachers also need to be good at it to help learners do it well. 

• Memes are shared often on social media, including ones about multilingualism. Ask learners in pairs to define what a meme is. Answer: a short image or piece of text that is usually funny and shared widely on the internet. You could also give them an example of a recent meme or ask them if they can share one. 
• Show the examples on the slide. (These have been created for copyright purposes. You could do an online search to find others to show if needed.) 
• Learners work either individually or in pairs with someone who has the same dominant language as them.  
• If struggling for ideas, they generate ideas/make notes in another language first. (Thinking first in another language can help access better ideas and language to translate, generating higher-level vocabulary in English.) 
• They could create their meme on a worksheet or poster, or, if available, use an app or online tool, such as Canva, Padlet or Prezi. 
• Learners share their memes with the class for (positive) feedback. 
• Where relevant, learners discuss the two follow-up questions in groups or whole class. (Other situations could be when planning essays, preparing school presentations, sending important messages or doing language proficiency exams.) 

• Learners complete the sentences on their worksheet individually. Provide examples if needed. 
• They could write any additional language/learnings from the lesson in the box. 

• Distribute one copy of the handout to each learner. 
• They choose a language they have learned/are learning. Ensure learners understand the questions. You could provide your own examples if needed.
• Individually learners make notes against each question using a dominant language, then draft their paragraph in that language.