TRANSLANGUAGING IN MEDICAL ENGLISH CLASSROOMS: EVIDENCE-BASED PEDAGOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Medical English students often encounter difficulties when learning specialised terminology and explaining clinical concepts in a foreign language. Translanguaging allows learners to use their existing linguistic resources to support understanding and develop professional communication skills. This article examines the application of translanguaging in Medical English classrooms through a review of relevant theoretical and empirical research. Particular attention is given to medical vocabulary acquisition, clinical case discussions, and doctor– patient communication. A recent quasi-experimental study involving 50 medical and health sciences students reported better retention of specialised vocabulary among students receiving bilingual instruction than among those taught exclusively in English at follow-up assessments (Alzahrani et al., 2026). These findings support further investigation of multilingual approaches in medical education. The article proposes practical classroom activities that combine multilingual support with structured English-language practice.