Based in a linguistic ethnographic study in adult language education in Sweden, the aim of this article is to critically discuss translanguaging as a complex pedagogical practice involving students’ participation and transknowledging. We approach translanguaging from an ecological and socio-semiotic perspective, involving both embodied communication and materiality (Goodwin, 2018; Hua et al., 2017, Wei, 2023). Moreover, we understand translanguaging and transknowledging (Heugh, 2021) as intertwined, and as a pedagogy with the potential for transformative, social and epistemic justice. Drawing from linguistic ethnographic data from two schools for adult education, we analyze and discuss how the teachers use multiple linguistic resources to create a space for students’ participation, knowledge and lived experiences.