Tempted to Use Translation When Teaching a Foreign Language? Two Reasons Why it Can be Effective

By Mayra Yaranga Hernández

When we think of a traditional foreign language lesson, we immediately picture a class with well-behaved students aligned in neat rows, dusty books, a green board, white chalk and a method which nobody would dare to contradict: translation. We might think that, after the arrival of Communicative Language Teaching translation would be gone for good, wouldn’t it? Actually, things are very different and I would like to argue for its use in the language classroom.

Different approaches and methods have told teachers to prevent their students from using the L1, since this may have seriously detrimental effects on their learning process. However, using the L1 and translating are not problems in themselves, but regarding how they are used to aid learning. After all, we all translate, even if only at the beginning of our language learning process!

          

In order to make the most of translation, we should not think of it as a method like the much-maligned Grammar Translation. Instead, we should try to think of activities in which translation and interlinguistic awareness could be challenging for our learners. Using translation wisely can help students in two ways:

1. Language Awareness:

Thanks to a comparison between lexical chunks, learners can become aware of many interesting peculiarities of L1 and L2. For example, the differences between collocations in the two languages (e.g. “depende de” versus “depend on”), false friends (e.g. “actual”) or even the shocking lack of equivalence in idiomatic expressions and popular sayings (e.g. how would you say “ir de Guatemala a Guatepeor” in English?). Although knowledge of these features does not in itself guarantee lexical mastery, at least it prevents some recurrent interference-based mistakes and creates a habit of L2 fact-checking, especially now that most students seem to be so keen on Google Translate instead of a good online dictionary.

2. Cultural Awareness:

Two different language systems operate in different ways in their respective contexts. There are assumptions, beliefs, and ways of seeing the world which are not necessarily apparent when we expose students to L2 content. Translation can help students realise that, in the real world, what they consider “normal” in L1 simply does not apply in L2. Think, for instance, of students asking you how to say “de nada” in English as a response to “thank you”. Would you simply throw out “you’re welcome” or the old-fashioned “don’t mention it?” Or would you think twice about when this kind of phrase is used and when not (most of the time)?

If we want to incorporate translation into our teaching, we should consider how our learners will benefit from it. If they require systems work, then translating or comparing L1 and L2 could be beneficial if we detect areas needing special contrastive attention. If they require work on skills, translation can help them go beyond their current capabilities by providing them with language they can use in communicative settings (for example, when preparing questions for an interview). If they require more challenging practice, we can set up lively activities requiring students to identify, produce or give feedback on translations of language chunks in context. For further suggestions, I would recommend the eyebrow-raising work by Guy Cook, “Translation in Language Teaching”.

In conclusion, translation is definitely here to stay. Certainly, teachers can rest assured they do not need to revert to Grammar Translation. Instead, they should not be afraid of using some activities requiring L1 and L2 working together, and perhaps they will discover how useful it can be.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN

Have you ever used translation in class? If not, What prevents you from using it?

Biodata

Mayra Yaranga (1985) Doctor in Education (UNIFÉ); Master’s Degree in Media, Culture and Identity from Roehampton University (London) revalidated by PUCP, a Bachelor’s Degree in Education - UPCH and the Professional Title of Licenciada - IPNM. Currently she is Cambridge Oral Examiner and Member of the Research Team for Universidad del Pacífico Language Centre. She is also an Associate Professor and Pre-University Centre Director at UNIFÉ.


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The Hottest Issues of Language Learning

By Enrique Rojas R.

       

          It is said that all social animals are able to communicate with each other, whether you refer to insects, like ants or bees; birds, like pigeons or parrots; or mammals like dolphins, dogs or apes. They do it through a set of prearranged signals. Those signs or gestures do transmit certain information. But if we refer to communication as the sending or exchanging of thoughts and opinions by speech, writing or signs, then we are denoting human exchanges and pointing to an exclusively anthropological creation: language.

        It is thought that men were using it a million years ago, although little we know about its origins and we probably never will. What we do know is that different human groups spoke diverse languages. The socialization process then made it necessary for some people to learn the language of others.

      To learn the language of the parents and the own human group has always seemed to be a natural process that pretty much takes care of itself without requiring much science or methodological development. But learning a “foreign” language demanded extra effort and perhaps the elaboration of certain methods. It is interesting to mention that about five thousand languages are spoken in the world today, though they can be grouped in some 20 families.

         Since then the humanity has been developing methods to learn and teach foreign languages. A. P. R. Howatt & Richard Smith make reference to the history of foreign language teaching as a rather lengthy and complex sequence of schemes, within which it seemed each one replaced the one before. They also mention “the large number of named ‘methods’ of language teaching that appear in some sources and the way in which they are sometimes strung together as in a necklace of beads.”

         We have been following the Communicative Language Teaching Approach for over half a century now, although we can distinguish that the way this methodology was perceived in the 1960’s and 70’s is quite dissimilar to how we understand it today.

        Linguists, psychologists and educators continue formulating theories and methods to improve the practices employed in the teaching of foreign languages. Our team of researchers has decided to take a look at which are today the most interesting and debatable issues in second or foreign language teaching. In our eagerness to deal with topics of relevance for our colleagues, we are beginning today a series of articles on The Hottest Issues of Language Learning.

Reference:

Howatt , A & Richard Smith. 17 Sep 2014. The History of Teaching English as a Foreign    Language, from a British and European Perspective. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/1759753614Z.00000000028.

BIODATA

Graduated in Journalism at the PUCP, Peru, Enrique Rojas R. holds a MA in Journalism and MA in Inter American History from Southern Illinois University, USA; a MA in Linguistics from Universidad Iberoamericana del Atlántico, Spain; a MA in Literature from University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico, all the coursework for a MA in TEFL at Universidad de Piura, Peru and BA in Education from Universidad Federico Villarreal. He has also obtained Certificates of Proficiency in English both from Cambridge University and the University of Michigan and the Diploma for EFL Teachers from Universidad del Pacifico. He is an Oral Examiner for the Cambridge University exams and has been awarded the title Expert in E-Learning from Asociacion Educativa del Mediterraneo and Universidad Marcelino Champagnat. He has worked as a professor in universities in Peru, Mexico and the United States; as a newscaster and a producer in radio and television stations in the United States and Mexico, and as a writer and editor in daily newspapers of the same countries. He has been in the staff of CIDUP for 20 years teaching English and Spanish specializing in International Exams, English for Business, ESP and Teacher Training. He has been a speaker in every Congress of English for Special Purposes organized by Centro de Idiomas de la U.P. He is also a member of its Research Area

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For Whom is The Teaching of Grammar Still a Security Blanket?

                                        By María de la Lama

Frequently, in TEFL “grammar” equals “ syntax”. Thus, for many English teachers grammar is the teaching of how to build structures in order to  develop in students, in a later stage, the   ability to  transform them when communicating.   But the linguistic concept of grammar "as the total knowledge of a language" offers a much broader understanding of this term. Therefore, an effective teaching of grammar should allow students not only to form structures, but also to know how to use them in a meaningful and appropriate way.

The teaching of the Simple Past tense will exemplify this point . On the one hand, when the term grammar is limited to syntax, the methodology will emphasize more the use of the auxiliary "did" and the transformations that irregular verbs undergo in this tense. On the other hand, a broader conception of the term will motivate the teacher to teach other very important aspects of the mentioned structure, such as the pronunciation of regular verbs and, what is more important, the communicative functions of the tense.

Why is it then that this narrow perception of the term "grammar" is still rooted in our daily teaching? Maybe because the focus on teaching structures still works as a security blanket for teachers. Let’s see some of the reasons why we are fond of teaching structures:

⮚      There is a belief that if students analyze the language they will learn it more effectively. However, the main tenets of the Communicative approach prioritize language use over rules of usage.

⮚      The teaching of grammar (grammar= syntax) demands the use of schemas, charts or written exercises,  activities that many teachers are keen on doing in class.

⮚      Structures are always testable. In fact, grammar quizzes  are easy to prepare and to grade.

⮚      This narrow conception of grammar gives teachers a false control of the lesson performance. After all, teachers always have  the correct  answer!

⮚      Teachers seem to perpetuate the way they learned a foreign language when they teach. There has been a great emphasis on teaching language rules during the last decades that’s way following the Communicative approach does not seem to be an easy task.

⮚      An overemphasis on structure formation may give students the idea that forming structures is enough to communicate in a foreign language without focusing on other important aspects such as pronunciation, vocabulary and use.

A good tip for preparing our grammar lessons bearing in mind that “grammar” involves much more than syntax, is to identify the challenging aspect of a given structure for our students. In some cases, the pronunciation of the structure, and not its form, will pose a challenge for adult students, such as the pronunciation of the phonemes /s/ or /z/ in the formation of plural nouns. In other structures, the challenging point will come from the meaning of the structures. The use of the possessive illustrates this point as in the phrase “a month’s holiday”.  

Challenging points can arise from other aspects rather than the form of the structure. They may come from the phonological component of the structure, from the correct understanding of its meaning or from its use. Overemphasizing the teaching of the form may hinder the students’ communicative competence.

NOW YOUR TURN:

Why doesn’t our teaching of grammar move towards more communicative ways? Is the teaching of grammar our security blanket in class?

  

BIODATA:

DE LA LAMA, MARIA, Bachelor in Education, has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics and a Bachelor's in Linguistics, both obtained at the University of California, Davis. She also holds an MBA from Universidad del Pacífico. She currently serves as the Director of the Language Center at Universidad del Pacífico.

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Student’s Notebook Reflects Classwork, Right? WRONG

                                                                                              By Enrique Rojas R.

The                                                            

                   

            For many parents of school children the students’ notebooks reflect the work they have done in class in a particular subject. Even some teachers equate a robust notepad with hearty work by instructors and students during the school year and that means, according to them, a successful and productive labor for all involved. But we deem that as an absolute falsehood which is particularly untrue in the case of the English course.

         Colombian professor Luis Hernando Mutis Ibarra had told us: “…the notebook is a powerful educational tool: there is evidence of what the student can do of what he is learning and how he learns it. The notebook is a mirror of the work that the educator does in the classroom.” So he takes the notebook as proof of the work done in class, which is what many parents do. That leads us to believe that those parents do not trust their children’s teachers and they need to invigilate what they do. Not a very healthy attitude.

         Professor Mutis ratifies this when he says: “On the one hand it is an instrument of evidence of educational work, in which the majority of parents, authorities and managers supervise the work of teachers, who are often guided by the culture of the hefty volume, that is, the larger ‘The more effective,’ or the more complete the notebook is and the more orderly it is, the more the teacher will have taught.

          In the communicative approach, that in the English teaching world we still follow today, the same importance is given to oral skills as to written ones. Although, remember that the emphasis is placed on communicating. And it is undeniable that man’s main means of communication is the oral language and not the written one.

       

  Now there is general agreement among linguists that the way to best learn a foreign language is by communicating in it, that is, transmitting ideas, desires, requests, opinions, news, feelings, etc. The way people normally do it, by talking to each other. So much so that now “Teacher Talking Time is minimized to facilitate more “Student Talking Time.” So the idea of a teacher writing on the board for the students to copy, or never ending dictation or other ways of fattening students’ notebooks are considered obsolete in the best of cases. Now students should talk.

         And even then it doesn’t seem enough. Professor Martha Bartoli Rigol, of Universidad de Barcelona, warns us: “In the communicative approach, written language is still used as a support in the teaching of oral language and pronunciation.” Just remember that when a new word appears in the classroom, the first thing the teacher does is write it on the board. Consequently, students immediately read it and remember it with the sounds they know, those of Spanish. No wonder learners tend not to pronounce well and remember more the words as they are written rather than uttered.

         So, fat notebooks that nobody is going to read do not either evidence communication or good language work. In a language lab students could exchange messages. That would be chatting, something that kids love to do and real communication practice. If a teacher doesn’t have access to those facilities he could device a scheme for interchanging handwritten notes, legalizing and sublimating something that kids sometimes do surreptitiously. And you can be sure they will be communicating in the target language!

Now is your turn

Are notebooks or workbooks the most important part of your English class?

References:

Bartoli, M. (2005) La pronunciación en la clase de lenguas extranjeras. PHONICA, 1). [Applied Phonetics Laboratory, Universitat de Barcelona]

Mutis Ibarra, L.  Las Tareas y Los Usos Del Cuaderno. Retrieved from: https://es.scribd.com/doc/19480003/Las-Tareas-y-Los-Usos-Del-Cuaderno-doc

BIODATA

Graduated in Journalism at the PUCP, Peru, Enrique Rojas R. holds a MA in Journalism and MA in Inter American History from Southern Illinois University, USA; a MA in Linguistics from Universidad Iberoamericana del Atlántico, Spain; a MA in Literature from University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico, all the coursework for a MA in TEFL at Universidad de Piura, Peru and BA in Education from Universidad Federico Villarreal. He has also obtained Certificates of Proficiency in English both from Cambridge University and the University of Michigan and the Diploma for EFL Teachers from Universidad del Pacifico. He is an Oral Examiner for the Cambridge University exams and has been awarded the title Expert in E-Learning from Asociacion Educativa del Mediterraneo and Universidad Marcelino Champagnat. He has worked as a professor in universities in Peru, Mexico and the United States; as a newscaster and a producer in radio and television stations in the United States and Mexico, and as a writer and editor in daily newspapers of the same countries. He has been in the staff of CIDUP for 20 years teaching English and Spanish specializing in International Exams, English for Business, ESP and Teacher Training. He has been a speaker in every Congress of English for Special Purposes organized by Centro de Idiomas de la U.P. He is also a member of its Research Area

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