Neither Arabic nor English: translanguaging as a frontline language practice in the Gulf-based MNC

While much has been written on English lingua franca policy in MNCs, less is known about how indigenous factors shape its practice. Through a 10-month ethnographic study utilizing participant observation in an Arabian Gulf-based MNC with an English lingua franca mandate, we develop a conceptual framework of Gulf-specific translanguaging practices that we identified between employees of different language groups and among Gulf nationals. We further conceptualize the strategic use of these translanguaging types depending on formal and informal contexts at the HQ and at the plant. Our findings challenge the reliance on a single standard language as lingua franca for communication in a linguistically diverse workforce, and indicate the value of indigenous forms of translanguaging for enhancing communication and linguistic inclusion.