Mapping research on translanguaging in language assessment

Since its emergence in academic literature in 2001, translanguaging has garnered substantial attention from researchers. A comprehensive review is warranted to elucidate the various contexts wherein translanguaging has been applied, such as language assessment. Therefore, this study was conducted as a scoping review to map pertinent empirical research that appeared between 2013 and 2023 in the form of journal articles and book chapters. Based on its findings, the study provides important insights into various dimensions of translanguaging in language assessment: research foci, manifestations, geographical and learning contexts, and primary research data (e.g., author affiliation, source type, title, and citation data). For example, it was established that translanguaging has been researched chiefly in the area of writing assessment. The reviewed studies involved emergent bilingual students, postsecondary students, and teaching professionals of diverse linguistic, cultural, and racial backgrounds. Practical implications of the findings and suggestions for future empirical research are also discussed. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.