Multimodality and transposition in collaborative language learning

Multimodality is critical in our digitally driven society, especially when learning English as a secondary language. This chapter examines ‘transposition’ in the broader scope of multimodality, highlighting the agile exchange of meanings among different modes - like text, imagery, and sound - and how this exchange transcends linguistic boundaries. Digital tools, particularly machine translation, illustrate how technology transcends traditional language constraints, propelling meaning-making into new realms. These tools act as ‘cognitive prostheses’, broadening our meaning-making and cognitive capacities, and are indispensable in educational settings, where they aid in understanding and creating complex meanings for everyday academic and technical use. This chapter explores these concepts, drawing from a research study that approaches multimodality and human-technology interaction as an integral part of the communicative repertoire of humans. The semantic prostheses of machine translation and the use of multiple modes for meaning-making are utilised in support of language learning practices. Learners in this context were encouraged to learn how to use digital tools effectively in their everyday lives and to facilitate collaborative language learning. The findings of this project demonstrate the benefits of multimodal literacy and innovative digital tools towards enhanced meaning-making increased learner engagement and motivation.