Translanguaging for Equal Opportunities: Speaking Romani at School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66576/journal.2026.01.06Keywords:
translanguaging , Romani , ethical encounters , multilingual education , ethnographyAbstract
Translanguaging is neither a second-language teaching method nor a symbolic gesture acknowledging multilingualism, and it goes beyond being an efficient tool for teaching children the language of instruction more quickly.
As a practical theory of language (Li Wei, 2018), it holds that every language a child brings to school is a legitimate foundation and resource for further learning.
This review discusses Translanguaging for Equal Opportunities: Speaking Romani at School, edited by János Imre Heltai and Eszter Tarsoly (2023), which explores translanguaging among multilingual Roma in Central Europe. The book documents the TRANSLANGEDUROM project, carried out in 2019–2022 in Tiszavasvári (Hungary) and Zemné (Slovakia) and building on work in Tiszavasvári since 2016. Through participatory ethnographic research, the project examined how and in which languages people speak and learn in multilingual schools, and how translanguaging-based learning affects pupils, teachers, parents and the relationships between them. The book brings academic insights into dialogue with field experience, at times challenging or extending them.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mária Takáčová (Autor)
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