Language Awareness and High School English Teaching in Japan: Taking a Translanguaging Lens to a 'Monolingual' Setting

Japan is typically believed to be homogenous and a monolingual society, although many studies have argued against this perception. In this context, the way English is taught as a standardised language has reinforced its perceived monolingualism. This qualitative case study investigates the language awareness and teaching practices of six Japanese high school teachers of English through the lens of translanguaging, a holistic view that focuses on what people do with language. Findings indicate value in understanding and teaching languages more holistically because the way teachers conceptualise language can affect the way they teach.