Digital Translanguaging in AI-Assisted Business English Writing: EFL Student and Lecturer Perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65310/1y6qnb30Keywords:
Business English, Critical AI Literacy, Digital Translanguaging, EFL Writing, Generative Artificial Intelligence.Abstract
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has reshaped Business English writing by enabling multilingual learners to coordinate first-language reasoning, English genre practices, and algorithmic output within a single composing process. This study investigated how EFL students and lecturers interpreted digital translanguaging in AI-assisted Business English writing through an interpretive qualitative case study in a higher-education context. The participants consisted of nine EFL students and three lecturers, with data collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, AI chat logs, prompt histories, and sequential drafts, which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed three themes: digital translanguaging as cognitive scaffolding, communicative bridging, and socio-affective support. Students strategically used multilingual resources to deepen conceptual understanding, negotiate professional discourse, and develop confidence in writing tasks, while lecturers emphasized accountability, critical evaluation, and authorship. Productive AI-supported translanguaging occurred when learners could explain, revise, reject, and defend generated language. The study contributes to contemporary pedagogy by proposing accountable digital translanguaging as a framework for integrating multilingual practices and GenAI in Business English education.
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