Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 255 views

    The Grammar Translation Method

    Uploaded by

    Sebastian Bachv
    The grammar translation method is a traditional foreign language teaching method from the 19th-20th centuries. It focuses on reading comprehension and translating literary passages word-for-word with explanations of grammar and vocabulary in the student's native language. Little instruction is done in the target language. The teacher is the primary source of knowledge and students have passive roles, memorizing rules and translating texts without practice in speaking or listening skills. While it develops writing skills, the method is considered ineffective for teaching natural language acquisition.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    The Grammar Translation Method

    Uploaded by

    Sebastian Bachv
    255 views3 pages
    The grammar translation method is a traditional foreign language teaching method from the 19th-20th centuries. It focuses on reading comprehension and translating literary passages word-for-word with explanations of grammar and vocabulary in the student's native language. Little instruction is done in the target language. The teacher is the primary source of knowledge and students have passive roles, memorizing rules and translating texts without practice in speaking or listening skills. While it develops writing skills, the method is considered ineffective for teaching natural language acquisition.

    Original Title

    The Grammar Translation Method.docx

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The grammar translation method is a traditional foreign language teaching method from the 19th-20th centuries. It focuses on reading comprehension and translating literary passages word-for-word with explanations of grammar and vocabulary in the student's native language. Little instruction is done in the target language. The teacher is the primary source of knowledge and students have passive roles, memorizing rules and translating texts without practice in speaking or listening skills. While it develops writing skills, the method is considered ineffective for teaching natural language acquisition.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    255 views3 pages

    The Grammar Translation Method

    Uploaded by

    Sebastian Bachv
    The grammar translation method is a traditional foreign language teaching method from the 19th-20th centuries. It focuses on reading comprehension and translating literary passages word-for-word with explanations of grammar and vocabulary in the student's native language. Little instruction is done in the target language. The teacher is the primary source of knowledge and students have passive roles, memorizing rules and translating texts without practice in speaking or listening skills. While it develops writing skills, the method is considered ineffective for teaching natural language acquisition.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 3

    The Grammar Translation Method

    The grammar-translation method (known also as the grammar translation approach)


    of foreign language teaching is one of the most traditional methods, dating back to the
    late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the teaching of Latin and Greek.
    This method was used for reading and appreciating foreign language literature under
    the form of reading passages for grammar rules, vocabulary and translation with the
    help of the teacher.

    Objectives
    The method has two main goals:
    1. Read and appreciate literature written in the target language.
    2. Push the learner to learn about the grammar rules and vocabulary of (L2)

    Characteristics
     Memorization of words, grammar rules and vocabulary
     Very little teaching is done in the target language

     Example of a class using this method. ---------

     Instead, readings in the target language are translated directly and then
    discussed into the native language, often precipitating in-depth comparisons of
    the two languages themselves.
     Grammar is taught with extensive explanations in the native language, and only
    later applied in the production through translation from one language to
    another one.
     It also required students to translate whole texts word by word.
     Tests would often ask students to replicate classical texts in the target
    language.
     Translation is very important and the easiest way of explaining meaning of
    words. Any other method of explaining vocabulary items in the second
    language is found consuming.

     Examples -------------

    Teacher’s profile - > He is the source of knowledge, authority in class. In this


    context the students become “passive”
    Techniques
     Translation: Students will be ask to read a literary passage and then translate
    the target language into their native language
     Deductive application of rules: Students understand the grammar rule and
    apply it to examples.
     Memorization: Students are ask to memorize new words, grammatical rules,
    and verb conjugation (To learn things by heart)
     Fill in the blanks: Teacher gives students sentences with word missing.
    Students should fill the blanks with new vocabulary or a particular grammar
    type.
     Reading comprehension questions: Students are asked in their mother tongue,
    but the answer will be in the target language.
    /Questions (L1)
    /Answers (L2)

    Advantages and Disadvantages

     It gives learners the wrong idea of what language is. Language is seen as a
    collection of words which are isolated and independent.
     Writing over speaking - > Students develop their writing skills but fail to express
    themselves orally. No importance given to pronunciation. There’s a lack of
    communication.
     It affects learner’s motivation which can lead to frustration, boredom and
    indiscipline.
     It doesn’t take into account listening and speaking skills like other methods
    such as TPR method (Total physical response) or the Direct method
     The teacher doesn’t need to know the language very well neither prepare a
    good lesson.

    Conclusions

     It’s an unnatural method. The natural order of learning a language is listening,


    speaking, reading and writing. That is the way how the child learns his mother
    tongue, but in this method the process is reversed.

     Translation is the key to this methodology as is reading and writing. There is not
    normally any listening or speaking practice carried out moreover, there is
    virtually no pronunciation practice for the students.
     Exact translation is impossible due to the variation of language

    L1: French “Table” “Table of contents”


    L2: English “Une table” “ Sommaire”

    o Translation should be considered as a proficiency in a language.

     We can’t learn by memorizing rules!


     In this method, the students find themselves in a defensive context where only
    right answers are expected.
     This method doesn’t required a competent teacher as he is the source of
    knowledge.

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy