Translation in EFL Classroom (original) (raw)
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Since the introduction of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach, the use of the mother tongue (L1) in second language teaching and learning has been minimized, if not entirely excluded. However, scholarly interest in the question of the importance of L1 has recently been renewed. In light of this, the aim of this paper is to examine how often university students use Serbian as their L1 in learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP), as well as how they perceive their teachers' use of L1. A total of 146 students participated in the research conducted by means of a questionnaire exploring their practice and beliefs regarding L1. Additionally, structured interviews were conducted with 12 students. Answers obtained through the questionnaire were analyzed by means of the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, while content analysis was employed for the analysis of the interview responses. Statistically significant differences were found with respect to the year and field of study, the length of time the students had been learning English, and the level of their language proficiency. The interview responses showed that the students employ L1 in both classroom and individual learning and that their ESP teachers also use it as a scaffolding technique or for teaching terminological standardization and contrastive analysis.
Using translation in foreign language classes where teachers do not speak students’ mother tongue
O. Blinova (2022) Using translation in foreign language classes where teachers do not speak students’ mother tongue, INTED2022 Proceedings, pp. 6046-6050., 2022
Translation is one of the oldest foreign language methods, but for decades, until recently, it has been out of favour within the 'progressive' community of foreign language teachers. It is still considered by many to be an outdated practice, reminiscent of the grammar-translation method, which enjoys the rather negative reputation of stifling creativity and not contributing much to learners' development. However, as someone who was taught primarily through translation, the author of this paper sees a lot of advantages of not banishing L1 (i.e. the students' mother tongue) and translation from the classroom. It is often argued that students' L1 and translation can be relied upon in foreign language teaching practice both as a controlled practice exercise for lexis and grammar, and a separate skill (what Baker 2006 and others call the 'fifth-skill') for Translation and Interpreting students at tertiary level. That being said, one of the major limitations of resorting to Translation and the so-called 'own-language' in the classroom is the very common situation when the language teacher does not speak the students' L1. In this paper, I will take this debate further and put to the test the claim that translation can indeed be used effectively in an English as a Foreign Language lesson in a monolingual group of learners where the teacher does not speak the learners' L1. Using a case study of a group of Turkish students learning English and a non-Turkish speaking teacher, I will lay out the results of an experimental lesson with a vocabulary focus.
Using Native Language in ESL Classroom by Dr. Isa SPAHIU, Macedonia
International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies , 2013
The debate over whether to use or not to use to learners’ L1 inside the classroom has always been the topic of discussion for various people for various reasons. The debate has also involved ESL/EFL teachers. Some argue that such use may lead to more dependence of an ESL/EFL on his/her L1 that may hinder the progress of mastering the target language. Whereas others believe that the use of an ESL/EFL learners’ L1 may ease the process of teaching and learning the target language as the teachers can explain complex ideas and rule more effectively in learners’ L1 saving a lot of time. This use can also assist the ESL/EFL learners in acquiring and mastering target language vocabulary. Keeping in mind such counter arguments, the present paper aim to investigate when to use native language in a class and, most importantly, how to use it and promote learning, advantages and disadvantages of using native language in classroom, how to encourage students to use L2 appropriately, and exploring some of the best ways to teach English language. Keywords: Native Language, Advantages of L1, L1 Dependence, Target language
Pedagogical Translation in Second Language Acquisition
JURNAL BASIS, 2020
As the pioneering pedagogical instrument in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), translation has been securing its place in the academic discourse about SLA. However, confusion over the definition of pedagogical translation has been brought by the rise of translation studies. Besides, the attitude of SLA scholars toward the use of translation in language classroom has evidently changed overtime. This article seeks to reassess the theoretical position of translation in SLA and in translation studies, as well as to examine the current practice of pedagogical translation in SLA classroom. Based on the analysis results, translation is theoretically divided into pedagogical translation (translation as a means) and real translation (translation as an end). Both are regarded as different and independent activities, but they are connected and related at some levels in the practice. As for the current practice of pedagogical translation in SLA, it is found that the recent trend for pedagogical...
The Ways of Using Mother Tongue in English Language Teaching
International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 2014
Humanistic views of teaching have speculated that students should be allowed to express themselves, and while they are still learning a language it is only natural that they will periodically slip back into their mother tongue, which is more comfortable for them. The support for an English-only policy has been declining recently and some researchers and teachers have begun to advocate a more bilingual approach to teaching, which would incorporate the students' L1 as a learning tool. Students will also naturally equate what they are learning with their L1 so trying to eliminate this process will only have negative consequences and impede learning. Inspired by these viewpoints and driven by my own interest, I decided to carry out a small study on the use of the mother tongue in the Croatian context. The purpose of this study was to support the fact that in the EFL classes Croatian plays only a supportive and facilitating role.
THE ROLE OF MOTHER TONGUE IN SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING
The idea of using mother tongue (MT) in English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms is not something new to the critics concerning with the beneficial or non-beneficial sides of it. This idea has been a popular topic of discussion since the methodologies of teaching a foreign language existed as a dissident to a previous or any one and began to have polemic with each other about teaching styles. While one permits an unlimited use of MT in the classroom, the dissident may put a callous ban on the usage. The existence of the debate dates back to the appearance of Direct Method (DM) which stands as a counter about the use of MT in the classroom to the previous method which is known as Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) with the principals that allow even direct translations from the target language to the native language. The debate then goes on with the existence of the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) which is accepted as the modification of Direct Method and which is originally designed to teach the army officers in order them to be able to understand different languages during the World War II in the USA. Most probably, the best way to make a decision whether the use of native language in the classroom is beneficial or not is to look deeper into the uttered sentences of verse theories and to present the advantages and possible disadvantages of using it. To do so, in the beginning of the paper we will state the views of some theories and opposing ones regarding the issue and later we will discuss the advantages and possible disadvantages of using it in the ELT classrooms. Thus, this is what we aimed in the paper from introduction to conclusion with chasing the path which will lead us to the answer these questions: What is the role of mother tongue in ELT classroom? What are the major teaching theories’ views towards the use of MT in ELT classrooms? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the use of MT in ELT classrooms?
The influence of mother tongue (Albanian) in learning and teaching EFL
2017
Using first language (L1) as a necessary and facilitating role in the second /foreign language (L2) classroom, has been a very hotly debated issue among teachers of English. This paper aims at examining students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the use of mother tongue and translation in various linguistic situations. This study examined language transfer while learning and teaching EFL, respectively the language interference in the written English of Albanian students. The study focused on recognizing, describing and explaining transfer-induced lexical and syntactic patterns that occur in essays written by Albanian University level students, and on following a possible change in the quantity and quality of these transfer patterns. The analysis of these transfer patterns aims at explaining the written English production by Albanian students, namely, how it is influenced by their mother tongue and what types of changes have taken place in it. The activities that help raise learners’ awa...
Use of the first language in the EFL classroom as viewed by English philology students
Linguodidactica, 2017
For years there have been debates among applied linguists and in-service teachers as to whether to allow any inclusion of learners' mother tongue in the process of foreign language teaching. Since second language acquisition theories do not offer a precise answer, the actual use of the first language in the classroom depends on the beliefs of teachers and learners. Recent research studies concerning teachers and students' views on whether learners' L1 should be present or avoided in the teaching context seem to suggest that at present the controlled use of the L1 is perceived as beneficial. This article presents the results of a survey study on the perception of the usefulness of the L1 conducted among pre-service teachers of English at the University of Białystok. The findings support the view that the purposeful employment of the L1 may result in an increase in learning outcomes.
This paper starts with the assumption that using the mother tongue when applied adequately and effectively, can be used as a means of language learning and language teaching. Despite the controversy of the adequacy or inadequacy of using the mother tongue in the teaching of a foreign language, this paper argues that analytical and descriptive studies along with teachers' observations have revealed valuable additional information about the validity of using the mother tongue as a tool for language learning and/or language teaching. So the use of L1, if used properly and judiciously, is a needful, and worthy, pedagogical ally in the teaching and learning of English as language. Therefore, those who believe that L1 has a minimal role to play in the teaching of a foreign language are invited to think again of its role and contributions it makes to the fields of language learning and teaching.