Translanguaging Characteristics in Portuguese Communicative Tasks: A Study of Frequency, Motivation, and Output among Chinese Learners

To investigate the translanguaging characteristics of Chinese learners in Portuguese communicative tasks and their impact on Portuguese output quality, a study was conducted involving Chinese learners from a university in Sichuan, China, spanning three proficiency levels in Portuguese. Participants were tasked with completing an oral communicative activity in Portuguese, with their responses recorded and transcribed for analysis. The transcriptions were examined to assess various facts, including the frequency of translanguaging instances, languages employed, quantity of translanguaging word output, and the proportion of Portuguese words produced by learners at different proficiency levels. By comparing the average values of these facts, our findings indicate that Chinese learners incorporated not only their native language but also English, in their translanguaging practices. It is noteworthy that the majority of translanguaging instances were utilized to facilitate the communicative task and had minimal impact on the production of Portuguese words. Moreover, a decrease in the use of translanguaging practices was observed as learners’ proficiency in Portuguese advanced. Therefore, we recommend that educators not only refrain from prohibiting students from engaging in translanguaging during oral communicative tasks but also provide appropriate guidance and support. This approach can help learners effectively navigate language challenges and enhance their language learning experiences.