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Short abstract:

This paper explores English-Mediated Instruction (EMI) in a Japanese university, focusing on curious distractions in teaching. It challenges the general assumption of English’s homogenizing effect and linguistic imperialism, viewing language misunderstandings as opportunities for critical pedagogy.

Long abstract:

Even in non-English speaking countries, our academic engagements extend beyond just reading and writing in English; we are increasingly compelled, by the demands of higher educational institutions aspiring to internationalization, to teach in English. While denouncing this as a form of linguistic imperialism and advocating for the construction of multilingual environments, we also need to rethink the premise that English, perceived as a neutral language serving science, simply homogenizes our knowledge production. Moreover, to underestimate the impact of English as merely a tool for communication is to remain ensnared in a similar paradigm. This paper focuses on teaching experiences with English-mediated instruction (EMI) in a Japanese university, where the boundary between 'nature' and 'environment' suddenly becomes a focal point, giving rise to what might be termed 'evocative discrepancies,' where misunderstanding unearths assumptions taken for granted and leads to unexpected conversation. In classrooms comprising students and teachers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, with varying degrees of English proficiency, EMI does not facilitate frictionless knowledge reproduction; rather, it introduces a curious distraction. What might superficially be characterized by deficits and disorderliness becomes a critical juncture for rethinking pedagogy. Amidst growing critical reflections on homogenizing education by segregating classrooms based on language proficiency or disability, this paper contemplates the 'incomprehensibility' inevitably engendered by English as a creative opportunity.