A Framework of Multilingual Conversion Errors: A Crosslinguistic Mediation Model in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language
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| Title: | A Framework of Multilingual Conversion Errors: A Crosslinguistic Mediation Model in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Shane Chen (ORCID |
| Source: | SAGE Open. 2025 15(4). |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Second Language Learning, Chinese, English, Language of Instruction, Multilingualism, Language Processing, Language Skills, Writing Processes, Student Writing Models, College Students, Translation, Error Correction |
| Geographic Terms: | Taiwan |
| DOI: | 10.1177/21582440251385737 |
| ISSN: | 2158-2440 |
| Abstract: | This study proposes a preliminary descriptive framework of the Multilingual Conversion Error (MCE) to account for systematic errors made by L2 learners from non-native English-speaking countries when learning Chinese as a second language (L2) in an English-medium instruction (EMI) context. Unlike classical transfer models, the MCE framework emphasizes that language education often proceeds through an indirect route--from English (instructional language) to L1 (native language) to Chinese (target language). This indirect processing increases cognitive load and facilitates more cross-linguistic interference. Drawing on a collection of 68 compositions by beginning learners writing in Chinese at a university in Taiwan, the study identifies four typical error types: syntactic transfer, semantic transfer, literal idiom translation, and cultural-pragmatic misuse. These errors showcase the multilingual learners' reliance on mental translation strategies and structural characteristics of their L1. The MCE Framework takes a different approach than the more traditional L1 to L2 transfer or interlanguage theories by highlighting instructional language as a non-neutral variable in learning, particularly when it is not a learner's L1. The data show that EMI may inadvertently reinforce learners' use of their first or native tongue as a mediator step, for conceptual mediation purposes, creating systematic error patterns in the learners' output. The study contributes to viewing multilingual mediation as part of language processing and advocates for a re-evaluation of EMI in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL). It also encourages the use of the target language in classroom instruction to maintain a lower cognitive load and facilitate language acquisition. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1495682 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study proposes a preliminary descriptive framework of the Multilingual Conversion Error (MCE) to account for systematic errors made by L2 learners from non-native English-speaking countries when learning Chinese as a second language (L2) in an English-medium instruction (EMI) context. Unlike classical transfer models, the MCE framework emphasizes that language education often proceeds through an indirect route--from English (instructional language) to L1 (native language) to Chinese (target language). This indirect processing increases cognitive load and facilitates more cross-linguistic interference. Drawing on a collection of 68 compositions by beginning learners writing in Chinese at a university in Taiwan, the study identifies four typical error types: syntactic transfer, semantic transfer, literal idiom translation, and cultural-pragmatic misuse. These errors showcase the multilingual learners' reliance on mental translation strategies and structural characteristics of their L1. The MCE Framework takes a different approach than the more traditional L1 to L2 transfer or interlanguage theories by highlighting instructional language as a non-neutral variable in learning, particularly when it is not a learner's L1. The data show that EMI may inadvertently reinforce learners' use of their first or native tongue as a mediator step, for conceptual mediation purposes, creating systematic error patterns in the learners' output. The study contributes to viewing multilingual mediation as part of language processing and advocates for a re-evaluation of EMI in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL). It also encourages the use of the target language in classroom instruction to maintain a lower cognitive load and facilitate language acquisition. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2158-2440 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/21582440251385737 |
