Translanguaging practices among English, Indonesian, and Arabic: Enhancing a holistic approach to tafsir in an Indonesian interpretation classroom

Usep Dedi Rostandi, Fajar Rohandy, Abdul Wasik

Abstract


This study investigates the role of translanguaging practices in tafsir (Quranic interpretation) education within a multilingual Indonesian classroom. It explores the integration of Arabic, Indonesian, and English to enhance students’ comprehension, critical engagement, and sense of cultural identity. Considering the growing need to adapt Arabic education to linguistically diverse contexts, the study addresses two key questions: how students and instructors utilize multiple languages in tafsir pedagogy, and what perceived benefits and challenges arise from translanguaging in this setting. A qualitative case study approach was employed, involving classroom observations (six sessions), in-depth interviews with two instructors, and focus group discussions with 18 undergraduate students enrolled in an interpretation course. The study examines how translanguaging episodes in classroom discourse are linked to the process of textual interpretation, tracing how meaning shifts across languages during collective Quranic analysis. The data were thematically coded to identify patterns in linguistic practices, pedagogical strategies, and interpretive outcomes. Findings indicate that Arabic is used for textual precision and religious authority, Indonesian for contextual and socio-cultural elaboration, and English for introducing scholarly perspectives and engaging with global discourse. This triadic interaction enables students to construct a more holistic understanding of Arabic meanings, particularly in relation to contemporary social issues. The study also identifies pedagogical tensions, including implicit linguistic hierarchies and a lack of structured training for instructors in managing multilingual interactions. Despite these challenges, the findings highlight the transformative potential of translanguaging in Islamic higher education, suggesting that intentional multilingual pedagogy can foster inclusive, critically engaged, and culturally resonant learning experiences.


Keywords


Arabic language; interpretation; cultural identity; multilingual classrooms;; multilingual pedagogy; Translanguaging

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abas, A., Nizam bin Sahad, M., & Eldin Abusahyon, A. S. A. (2021). Distorted and limiting semantically divergent translated meaning of Arabic loanwords in the Malay language as educational instrument. AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, 5(4), 109-139. http://doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol5no4.9

Abudhahir, R. A. S., & Ali, A. M. (2018). English for Islamic Studies: Should I learn English?—From the eyes of Islamic Studies students. LSP International Journal, 5(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v5n1.65

Afandi, M., Kholid, A., & Mursyid, A. Y. (2023). Discourse on the best interpretation model: A critical review of traditional exegesis products in the early era. QOF, 7(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.30762/qof.v7i1.1014

Agustin, P. D., & Syakhrani, A. W. (2025). Literacy assessment in multilingual contexts: a review of current approaches. INJOSEDU: International Journal of Social and Education, 2(5), 1136-1144. https://languar.net/index.php/INJOSEDU/article/view/175

Alhazmi, A. A. (2024). Translanguaging: A Promising Approach to Enhance English Learning in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 15(4). 1217-1226. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1504.19

Almashour, M. (2024). Bridging worlds with words: translanguaging and its impact on identity formation among Jordanian graduate students in Ontario. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1464741

Asfaha, Y. M., Spotti, M., & Idris, K. (2023). Translanguaging pedagogies in the Global South: Review of classroom practices and interventions. In C. McKinney, P. Makoe & V. Zavala (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of multilingualism (pp. 252-268). Routledge.

Asrori, M., Asy’arie, B. F., Akhirudin, Yusup Sofian, G., Syakir Hidayat, A. F., Suja, A., & Roibin. (2025). Islamic educational and cultural values in Indonesian puppetry art: a systematic literature review. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2490445. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2490445

Bachtiyar, M., Bakar, M. Y. A., & Rusydiyah, E. F. (2025). Innovations in Islamic religious education in bilingual madrasah aliyah: A systematic literature review. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(2), 2115-2124. https://journal.staihubbulwathan.id/index.php/alishlah/article/view/5453

Bonacina-Pugh, F., da Costa Cabral, I., & Huang, J. (2021). Translanguaging in education. Language Teaching, 54(4), 439-471. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444821000173

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2022). Pedagogical translanguaging and its application to language classes. RELC journal, 53(2), 342-354. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221082751

Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2010). Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: A pedagogy for learning and teaching?. The modern language journal, 94(1), 103-115.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00986.x

Daongan, A., Basilio, G. G., Guiniguin, R. M., Pinangi, A., & Pelila, J. R. (2025). Bilingual education in Asia: Language use, academic impact, and recommendations for effective practices. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2(1), 69-82. https://doi.org/10.56916/jmrd.v2i1.1021

Dutton, J., & Rushton, K. (2021). Using the translanguaging space to facilitate poetic representation of language and identity. Language Teaching Research, 25(1), 105-133. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820951215

Essam, M., Deif, M. A., Attar, H., Alrosan, A., Kanan, M. A., & Elgohary, R. (2024). Decoding queries: An in-depth survey of quality techniques for question analysis in Arabic question answering systems. IEEE Access, 12, 135241-135264. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3458466

Fitria, T. N. (2023). Integrating English language teaching (ELT) into Islamic boarding schools: A review of strategy and challenges. Journal of English Language and Pedagogy (JELPA), 1(2), 64-78. https://doi.org/10.51826/jelpa.v1i2.772

Gatil, T. B. (2021). Translanguaging in multilingual English language teaching in the Philippines: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 4(1), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.1.6

Grapin, S. E., Ramos Borrego, M., & Navarro, V. G. (2025). Translanguaging in US K–12 science and engineering education: A review of the literature through the lens of equity. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 62(1), 15-48. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.22012

Guna, B. W. K., & Yuwantiningrum, S. E. (2024). Building morality and ethics through Islamic religious education in schools. IJGIE (International Journal of Graduate of Islamic Education), 5(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.37567/ijgie.v5i1.2685

Halliday, L. M. (2024). “Y’all don’t hear me though”: Insight on culturally responsive teaching from scholarship on African American language. Education Sciences, 14(4), 408. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040408

Hatcher, T., & Son, S. (2022). Translanguaging: leveraging multilingualism for scripture engagement. The Bible Translator, 73(1), 120-140. https://doi.org/10.1177/20516770211062143

Jahan, M., Ahmad, S., Sadia, H., & Azam, L. A. (2023). Practising translanguaging strategies: An application of linguistic diversity in ELT classrooms. Journal of Namibian Studies, 33, 5572-5597. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382253299_Practising_Translanguaging_Strategies_An_Application_of_Linguistic_Diversity_in_ELT_Classrooms

Jeon, J., Coronel-Molina, S. M., & Lee, S. (2025). Conceptualizing foreign language teachers’ translanguaging practices: a meta-ethnography of qualitative literature. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2024.2433144

Karpava, S. (2025). Afterword: Multilingualism, inclusive education, and social justice. In S. Karpava (Ed.), Inclusive education, social justice, and multilingualism (pp. 249-291). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81194-4_14

Koçer, P. (2023). Translanguaging pedagogy: An integrative review study questioning its potential benefits and main concerns. The Literacy Trek, 9(3), 29-48. https://doi.org/10.47216/literacytrek.1341219

Liu, Y., & Fang, F. (2022). Translanguaging theory and practice: How stakeholders perceive translanguaging as a practical theory of language. RELC journal, 53(2), 391-399. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220939222

Luu, T. Q. H., Sit, H. H. W., & Chen, S. (2023). Development of English medium instruction (EMI). In T. Q. H. Luu, H. H. W. Sit, S. Chen (Eds.), Cultural interactions of English-medium instruction at Vietnamese universities: The western proposition by the eastern implementation (pp. 11-38). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8098-5_2

Ma, W., Mat, A. C., Mufidah, N., & Jaafar, R. (2025). Systematic literature review of innovative Arabic language teaching strategies in STEM education: Sociocultural, linguistic, and professional development perspectives. Semarak International Journal of Current Research in Language and Human Studies, 2(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.37934/sijcrlhs.2.1.125b

Mahfud, C., Astari, R., Kasdi, A., Mu'ammar, M. A., Muyasaroh, M., & Wajdi, F. (2022). Islamic cultural and Arabic linguistic influence on the languages of Nusantara; From lexical borrowing to localized Islamic lifestyles. Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia, 22(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v22i1.914

Mariyono, D. (2024). Indonesian mosaic: the essential need for multicultural education. Quality Education for All, 1(1), 301-325. https://doi.org/10.1108/QEA-05-2024-0042

Moraru, M., Bakker, A., Akkerman, S., Zenger, L., Smit, J., & Blom, E. (2025). Translanguaging within and across learning settings: A systematic review focused on multilingual children with a migration background engaged in content learning. Review of Education, 13(2), e70069. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.70069

Mukhopadhyay, L., Patil, V. K., Ravindran, S. Q. M. R., Balasubramanian, A., Vogelzang, M., & Tsimpli, I. M. (2023). Exploring opportunities and challenges using translanguaging pedagogy to develop reading comprehension: A study of Indian multilingual classrooms. Journal of Educational Studies, 2023(si1), 262-292. https://doi.org/10.59915/jes.2023.special.1.14

Ndhlovana, S. N., & Charamba, E. (2023). The efficacy of translanguaging in selected South African mathematics and science intermediate phase classrooms. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 11(3), 373-389. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i3.7904

Nguyen, T. N. T. (2022). A review of studies on EFL teachers’ and students’ perceptions of translanguaging as a pedagogical approach. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(3), 324-331. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.222322

Olğun-Baytaş, M., Lyu, S. R., & Yoon, Y. (2023). Embracing translanguaging pedagogy in early childhood education: Challenges and possibilities for promoting equity and diversity. Journal of Education Language and Ideology, 1(2), 178-185. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10677157

Ooi, W. Z., & Aziz, A. A. (2021). Translanguaging pedagogy in the ESL classroom: A systematic review. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(3), 676-709. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v10-i3/10816

Pacheco, M. B., Smith, B. E., Combs, E., & Amgott, N. A. (2024). Translanguaging within multimodal composition products and processes: A systematic review. In R. A. Mora, Z. Tian & R. Harman (Eds.), Translanguaging and multimodality as flow, agency, and a new sense of advocacy in and from the global south (pp. 119-137). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003435235-7

Planas, N. (2021). Challenges and opportunities from translingual research on multilingual mathematics classrooms. In A. A. Essien & A. Msimanga (Eds.), Multilingual education yearbook 2021: Policy and practice in STEM multilingual contexts (pp. 1-18). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72009-4_1

Poya, A., & Rizapoor, H. (2023). Al-Ghazali's theory of real knowledge: An exploration of knowledge integration in Islamic epistemology through contemporary perspectives. International Journal of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, 3(2), 607-624. https://doi.org/10.55227/ijhess.v3i2.627

Rahawarin, Y., Rumlus, C. O., Ramdhan, R. M., & Husni, A. (2024). Problems of Quranic education teachers in Indonesia: Systematic literature review. Journal of Quranic Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 43-59. https://joqer.intischolar.id/index.php/joqer/article/view/2

Ramaila, S. (2025). The affordances of code-switching: a systematic review of its roles and impacts in multilingual contexts. African Journal of Teacher Education, 14(1), 142-175. https://doi.org/10.21083/ajote.v14i1.8250

Rezaee, A. A., Seyri, H., & Norouzi, M. H. (2025). Translanguaging at the heart of language education: A systematic review. In D. Coulson & C. Denman (Eds.), Translation, translanguaging and machine translation in foreign language education, (pp. 235-259). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82174-5_12

Rozi, N. F. (2023). English language teaching in Indonesia: Monolingual and multilingual practices. k@ ta: A Biannual Publication on the Study of Language and Literature, 25(00), 88-95. https://doi.org/10.9744/kata.25.00.88-95

Saldo, J., Atonen, A. M., Ben-at, N., Sagang, A. J., & Pelila, J. R. (2025). English as a medium of instruction in Asia: Examining roles, opportunities and challenges, and effective practices. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2(1), 47-68. https://doi.org/10.56916/jmrd.v2i1.1020

Shi, W. (2024). A positioning analysis of international graduate students’ perspectives and practices of translanguaging at a Canadian higher education institution. International Journal of Multilingualism, 21(3), 1517-1531. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2023.2189725

Shofaussamawati, S., Khusniyah, A., Setyaningsih, E. O., & Kuzairi, M. (2024). Philological insights in Qur'an and tafsir education: A framework for developing teaching materials. Utamax: Journal of Ultimate Research and Trends in Education, 6(2), 153-166. https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v6i2.20273

Siregar, M. (2020). Translanguaging used by English Teacher at vocational schools [in] Medan. Budapest International Research and Critics in Linguistics and Education (BirLE) Journal, 3(2), 1259-1266. https://doi.org/10.33258/birle.v3i2.1162

Tang, X., Rousse-Malpat, A., & Duarte, J. (2024). Implementing translanguaging strategies in the English writing classroom in higher education: A systematic review. AILA Review, 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.23018.tan

Thongwichit, N., & Ulla, M. B. (2024). Translanguaging pedagogy in Thailand's English medium of instruction classrooms: Teachers' Perspectives and Practices. TESL-EJ, 24(4), n4. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.27108a7

Tuimebayeva, G., Shagrayeva, B., Kerimbayeva, K., Shertayeva, N., Bitemirova, A., & Abdurazova, P. (2024). Developing multilingual competence in future educators: Approaches, challenges, and best practices. Open Education Studies, 6(1), 20240020. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2024-0020

Wawire, B. A., & Barnes-Story, A. (2023). Translanguaging for multiliteracy development: pedagogical approaches for classroom practitioners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 26(2), 173-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2094702

Weddle, H., Hopkins, M., Lowenhaupt, R., & Kangas, S. E. (2024). Shared responsibility for multilingual learners across levels of the education system. Educational Researcher, 53(4), 252-261. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X241227913

Wei, L., & García, O. (2022). Not a first language but one repertoire: Translanguaging as a decolonizing project. RELC journal, 53(2), 313-324. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221092841

Zhang, Z., Ma, Q., Liu, C., & Li, L. (2024). Research strength analysis, pedagogical components, and effectiveness of translanguaging: a systematic literature review. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2024.2336502

Zhang-Wu, Q., & Tian, Z. (2023). Raising critical language awareness in a translanguaging-infused teacher education course: Opportunities and challenges. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 22(4), 376-395. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2023.2202589

Zhu, D., & Wang, P. (2025). A bibliometric analysis of research trends in multilingualism in English medium instruction: Towards translanguaging turn. International Journal of Multilingualism, 22(2), 1011-1032. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2024.2325995




DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v15i1.80705

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


View My Stats

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.