Iraqi students commonly struggle with writing speed, sentence complexity, and textual cohesion due to English-only teaching approaches that overlook Arabic as a valuable linguistic resource. Observing that traditional methods fail to support smooth and coherent writing, the study aimed to investigate the effect of translanguaging techniques on the writing fluency and cohesion of Iraqi university students learning English as a foreign language. To this aim, an explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. Sixty intermediate-level Iraqi EFL university students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=30) receiving eight weeks of translanguaging-based writing instruction (bilingual pre-writing, guided translation, and bilingual note-taking) and a control group (n=30) following a traditional English-only approach. Pre- and post-intervention timed writing tasks were analyzed quantitatively for fluency and cohesion, complemented by questionnaires, interviews, and reflective diaries. Findings show that students exposed to translanguaging-based instruction significantly outperform those taught through monolingual methods, demonstrating higher fluency and stronger cohesion in their written work. The qualitative results reveal elevated confidence, reduced anxiety, and greater metalinguistic awareness among these learners. Together, the results confirm that translanguaging is an effective pedagogical strategy that challenges the English-only paradigm and highlights the importance of drawing on Arabic as a cognitive and cultural tool to enhance English academic writing for Iraqi EFL students.
