This inquiry deals with translanguaging as plan to back bi-/multilingual students in achieving English academic literacy whilst aiding African language terminologisation via investigative scientific talk. The subject is contextualised by comparing multilingualism as problem and as resource. Translanguaging is debated as substitute of monolingual education, while some empirical South African translanguaging inquiry of the past 15 years is reviewedd. Research evoking student ideas on translanguaging as pedagogical action plan, reveals how speakers of eight African languages, covering Afrikaans, met with cognitive and affective advantages and viewed translanguaging as helpful platform for generating technical words in African languages.