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Dr Steven Byrne, University of Limerick
Title: Internationalisation, Translanguaging and 21st Century Barcelona
Abstract: This research explores undergraduate students’ perceptions of translanguaging in three highly internationalised public universities located in Barcelona, a multicultural and multilingual European city. Since the turn of the 21st century, the city has experienced increased in-ward migration from various locations as well as economic backgrounds. These sociodemographic changes have gradually reshaped the use of language(s) in the wider public arena. Adding to this, the Catalan university community, which follows a bilingual policy (Boix-Fuster & Sanz, 2008), provides a unique setting in which to examine the phenomenon of translanguaging. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 undergraduate students, drawn from three different universities: the University of Barcelona (UB), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed three key themes, namely, “Language and the University Environment”, “Hesitation When Choosing Languages” and “Fluid Language Use”. The findings shed light on students’ perceptions of translanguaging, highlighting that any decision to change language is often a practical response to sociolinguistic challenges encountered ‘on the ground’ (Soler & Gallego-Balsà, 2019). In this sense, translanguaging reflects the fluid and dynamic nature of multilingual practices in 21st century Barcelona, aligning with the city’s evolving linguistic landscape.
Bio-note: Steven Byrne is a lecturer in Sociology in the School of Allied Health as well as the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at UL. He has eight years teaching experience at UL across several departments. His current body of research focuses on the interface between the socio-political and the sociolinguistic situation in modern day Catalonia.
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