How Multilingual Freshmen Perceive Trans-Languaging: A Survey Study

Abstract

Given that Indonesian people speak both their local language(s) and Bahasa Indonesia, the country’s official language, the majority of Indonesians are either bilingual or multilingual. Compared to other foreign languages taught in Indonesia, English is the one taught the most. Some academics advocate the use of trans-languaging, particularly in the English as a Second Language (ESL) context, to overcome the difficulties of learning English. This study investigates how trans-languaging is perceived by first-year English and Language Literature (ELL) students at an Indonesian university. The findings indicate that most of the research’s subject group of students frequently employs trans-languaging in social and academic contexts. Additionally, they have positive views on trans-languaging.
 Keywords: translanguaging, bilingualism, multilingualism