Original Article
Translingual and Transcultural Reflection in Study Abroad: The Case of a Vietnamese-American Student in Guatemala
TRACY QUAN,
JULIA MENARD–WARWICK,
Corresponding Author
TRACY QUAN
University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, 278 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309
[email protected]; [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJULIA MENARD–WARWICK
University of California, Davis, Department of Linguistics, 267 Kerr Hall, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616
Search for more papers by this authorTRACY QUAN,
JULIA MENARD–WARWICK,
Corresponding Author
TRACY QUAN
University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, 278 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309
[email protected]; [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJULIA MENARD–WARWICK
University of California, Davis, Department of Linguistics, 267 Kerr Hall, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
How multilinguals reflect on and interpret their experiences abroad as they acquire an additional language has been undertheorized in study abroad research. Multilinguals navigate multiple identities, cross linguistic and social boundaries, and employ an array of resources to make meaning—that is, they engage in translingual practice. This article presents the case of Terry—a Vietnamese-American learner of Spanish—during a 13-week stay in Guatemala as she navigates and reflects on her sense of self. Employing translingual practice and symbolic competence as theoretical frameworks, this study examines how Terry drew on her cultural and linguistic background to understand her experiences abroad and in turn, how an abroad experience encouraged critical self-reflection. Through a thematic analysis of interviews, course assignments, and audio-recorded classroom observations, the findings illustrate how an abroad curriculum that emphasized structured critical reflection and local engagement encouraged Terry's development of critical translingual competence; an awareness of the symbolic significance of meaning-making resources across contexts; and the inextricable connections among identity, language, and culture.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| modl12701-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx28.1 KB | Supplementary Information |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
REFERENCES
- Anderson, C. S., & Cunningham, K. (2010). Culture, religion, and nationality: Developing ethnographic skills and reflective practices connected to study abroad. In E. Brewer & K. Cunningham (Eds.), Integrating study abroad into the curriculum: Theory and practice across the disciplines (pp. 63–84). Sterling, VA: Stylus.
- Anya, U. (2017). Racialized identities in second language learning: Speaking blackness in Brazil. New York: Routledge.
- Baker–Smemoe, W., Dewey, D. P., Bown, J., & Martinsen, R. A. (2014). Variables affecting L2 gains during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 47, 464–486.
- Ballón, E. G. (2015). Mexican Americans and education: El saber es poder. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press.
- Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods ( 5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
- Canagarajah, S. (2013). Translingual practice: Global English and cosmopolitan relations. New York: Routledge.
10.4324/9780203120293 Google Scholar
- Coleman, J. A. (2013). Researching whole people and whole lives. In C. Kinginger (Ed.), Social and cultural aspects of language learning in study abroad (pp. 17–44). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
10.1075/lllt.37.02col Google Scholar
- Compton–Lilly, C. (2012). Case studies. In A. A. Trainor & E. Graue (Eds.), Reviewing qualitative research in the social sciences (pp. 54–64). New York: Routledge.
- Crane, C. (2018). Making connections in beginning language instruction through structured reflection and the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. In P. Urlaub & J. Watzinger–Tharp (Eds.), The interconnected language curriculum: Critical transitions and interfaces in articulated K-16 contexts (pp. 51–74). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
- Delpit, L. (2002). The skin that we speak. New York: The New Press.
- W. Diao, & E. Trentman (Eds.). (2021). Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
10.21832/DIAO1333 Google Scholar
- Douglas Fir Group. (2016). A transdisciplinary framework for SLA in a multilingual world. Modern Language Journal, 100 (Supplement 2016), 19–47.
- Du, H. (2018). The complexity of study abroad stories from ethnic minority American students in China. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 38, 122–139.
- Flores, N., & Rosa, J. (2019). Bringing race into second language acquisition. Modern Language Journal, 103, 145–151.
- Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2014). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, and grammar ( 2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Goble, R. A. (2016). Linguistic insecurity and lack of entitlement to Spanish among third-generation Mexican Americans in narrative accounts. Heritage Language Journal, 13, 29–54.
10.46538/hlj.13.1.2 Google Scholar
- Goldoni, F. (2017). Race, ethnicity, class and identity: Implications for study abroad. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 16, 328–341.
- Gorski, P. C. (2011). Unlearning deficit ideology and the scornful gaze: Thoughts on authenticating the class discourse in education. Counterpoints, 402, 152–173.
- Isabelli–García, C., Bown, J., Plews, J. L., & Dewey, D. P. (2018). Language learning and study abroad. Language Teaching, 51, 439–484.
- Jackson, J. (2011). Cultivating cosmopolitan, intercultural citizenship through critical reflection and international, experiential learning. Language and Intercultural Communication, 11, 80–96.
- Jackson, J. (2018). Intervening in the intercultural learning of study abroad students: From research to practice. Language Teaching, 51, 365–382.
- Jing–Schmidt, Z., Chen, J. Y., & Zhang, Z. (2016). Identity development in the ancestral homeland: A Chinese heritage perspective. Modern Language Journal, 100, 797–812.
- Johnson, S. M. (2015). Adult learning in the language classroom. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
10.21832/9781783094172 Google Scholar
- Jonas, S., & Rodríguez, N. (2014). Guatemala–U.S. migration: Transforming regions. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
- Kinginger, C. (2008). Language learning in study abroad: Case studies of Americans in France [monograph]. Modern Language Journal, 92, 1–131.
- Kinginger, C. (2011). Enhancing language learning in study abroad. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 58–73.
- Kinginger, C. (2013). Identity and language learning in study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 46, 339–358.
- Kramsch, C. (2009). The multilingual subject. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Kramsch, C. (2014). Teaching foreign languages in an era of globalization: Introduction. Modern Language Journal, 98, 296–311.
- Kramsch, C., & Huffmaster, M. (2015). Multilingual practices in foreign language study. In J. Cenoz & D. Gorter (Eds.), Multilingual education: Between language learning and translanguaging (pp. 114–136). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10.1017/9781009024655.007 Google Scholar
- Leeman, J., & Serafini, E. J. (2016). Sociolinguistics for heritage language educators and students: A model for critical translingual competence. In M. Fairclough & S. M. Beaudrie (Eds.), Innovative strategies for heritage language teaching: A practical guide for the classroom (pp. 56–79). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
- Marijuan, S., & Sanz, C. (2018). Expanding boundaries: Current and new directions in study abroad research and practice. Foreign Language Annals, 51, 1–20.
- Marx, S., & Pray, L. (2011). Living and learning in Mexico: Developing empathy for English language learners through study abroad. Race Ethnicity and Education, 14, 507–535.
- Menard–Warwick, J. (2019). Bocadillos and the karate club: Translingual identity narratives from study abroad participants. Linguistics and Education, 50, 84–93.
- Menard–Warwick, J., Kehoe, S., & Palmer, D. (2021). The diverse experiences of heritage speakers at a Guatemalan language school: Linguistic agency in the contact zone. In R. Pozzi, T. Quan, & C. Escalante (Eds.), Heritage speakers of Spanish and study abroad. London: Routledge.
10.4324/9780429289163-8-12 Google Scholar
- Menard–Warwick, J., & Leung, G. (2017). Translingual practice in L2 Japanese: Workplace narratives. Language and Intercultural Communication, 17, 270–287.
- Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation ( 4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey–Bass.
- Mezirow, J. (2012). Learning to think like an adult: Core concepts of transformation theory. In E. W. Taylor & P. Cranton (Eds.), The handbook of transformative learning: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 73–95). San Francisco: Jossey–Bass.
- Ortega, L. (2014). Ways forward for a bi/multilingual turn in SLA. In S. May (Ed.), The multilingual turn: Implications for SLA, TESOL and bilingual education (pp. 32–52). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
- Palmer, D. (2015). ALD 329: Acquisition of languages and literacies [Syllabus]. Casa Herrera, Antigua, Guatemala: Language, Diversity, and Education Study Abroad Program, University of Texas, Austin.
- Palpacuer Lee, C., Curtis, J. H., & Curran, M. E. (2018). Shaping the vision for service-learning in language education. Foreign Language Annals, 51, 169–184.
- Paris, D. (2011). Language across difference: Ethnicity, communication, and youth identities in changing urban schools. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10.1017/CBO9780511978852 Google Scholar
- Pasterick, M. L. (2019). Language and (inter)cultural learning: Supporting language teacher candidates’ development of interculturality during study abroad. In D. Martin & E. Smolcic (Eds.), Redefining teaching competence through immersive programs (pp. 127–153). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave McMillan.
10.1007/978-3-030-24788-1_5 Google Scholar
- Petrucci, P. R. (2007). Heritage scholars in the ancestral homeland: An overlooked identity in study abroad research. Sociolinguistic Studies, 1, 275–296.
10.1558/sols.v1i2.275 Google Scholar
- Quan, T. (2018). Learning language while negotiating race and ethnicity abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 30, 32–46.
10.36366/frontiers.v30i2.410 Google Scholar
- Quan, T. (2021). Study abroad as a transformative translanguaging space for Spanish heritage speakers. In W. Diao & E. Trentman (Eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn (pp. 170–189). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
- Riegelhaupt, F., & Carrasco, R. (2000). Mexico host family reactions to a bilingual Chicana teacher in Mexico: A case study of language and culture clash. Bilingual Research Journal, 24, 405–421.
10.1080/15235882.2000.10162775 Google Scholar
- Rowan–Kenyon, H. T., & Niehaus, E. (2011). One year later: The influence of short-term study abroad experiences on students. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48, 213–228.
10.2202/1949-6605.6213 Google Scholar
- Róg, T. (2017). Successful L3 learning in a study abroad context: A personal narrative. Language and Intercultural Communication, 17, 288–305.
- Ruiz Bybee, E., Menard–Warwick, J., Degollado, E. D., Palmer, D., Kehoe, S., & Urrieta, L. Jr. (2018). Curricula crossing borders: Integrating multicultural and multilingual teacher education courses in study abroad. In C. Sanz & A. Morales–Front (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of study abroad research and practice (pp. 344–358). New York: Routledge.
10.4324/9781315639970-23 Google Scholar
- Talburt, S., & Stewart, M. A. (1999). What's the subject of study abroad?: Race, gender, and “living culture.” Modern Language Journal, 83, 163–175.
- Tullock, B., & Ortega, L. (2017). Fluency and multilingualism in study abroad: Lessons from a scoping review. System, 71, 7–21.
- Urrieta, L. (2015). ALD 327: Sociocultural influences on learning [Syllabus]. Casa Herrera, Antigua, Guatemala: Language, Diversity, and Education Study Abroad Program, University of Texas, Austin.
- Wetherell, M., Taylor, S., & Yates, S. (2001). Discourse as data: A guide for analysis. London: The Open University.
- Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8, 69–91.
10.1080/1361332052000341006 Google Scholar
