The Role of Translation in the Improvement of EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension at the Intermediate Level of Language Proficiency (original) (raw)
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PEDAGOGICAL UTILITY OF TRANSLATION IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION TO IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS
Indubitably, the skepticism against the pedagogical utility of translation in language teaching classroom has drastically changed in recent years. It is no wonder that writers such as Duff (1994) and Beeby (1996) ardently call for the reintroduction of translation in the process of second language (L2) acquisition. Due to a failure to understand the potential principles underlying the translation theories, L2 teachers and practitioners have largely neglected the use of translation as a technique in teaching foreign languages. Accordingly, the present study aims at investigating the pedagogical utility of translation in L2 teaching process. For this purpose, a sample of 180 students studying English as a foreign language was selected randomly. Using an Oxford Placement Test (OPT), they were homogenized and divided, based upon their proficiency levels, into six groups, i.e., elementary, intermediate, and advanced, for both experimental and control groups. During the treatment, the three experimental groups received translation oriented techniques aiming at teaching. Some textual features and the cross linguistic differences between the learners’ first language (L1) and the foreign language they are learning were measured. At the end of the treatment, a post test measuring the same textual features was administered to both control and experimental groups. Finally, a researcher- developed questionnaire was also given as a post hoc analysis to gauge the learners’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of translation as a L2 pedagogical tool. The results illustrated that the idea of the effectiveness of using translation activities in L2 classrooms to improve student’s learning process was supported. The findings of the present study does contribute to the field by supplying the curriculum developers with some useful insights on how to design the grammar section of the English books in a way in which the learners have to translate sentences from L1 to L2 with the newly learned structures in question. Some useful translation activities, utilized in the grammar section of the book as a complementary activity, may improve the efficiency of the learning process.
THE EFFECTS OF TRANSLATION ACTIVITIES ON READING COMPREHENSION OF IRANIAN EFL STUDENTS
There have already been different perspectives on the use of translation in the second language classrooms. Almost all procedures and approaches in teaching and learning a language have their opponents and proponents, and this approach is not an exception. When it comes to using translation in the language 2 reading classrooms, some scholars and teachers like Avand (1993) concentrated on it as a facilitative tool in the process of comprehending a text. This is while other scholars like Cook (1995) gave the prescription to totally ban the use of translation in an language 2 classrooms, no matter if it is a speaking, listening, writing or reading class. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the use of translation and EFL learners reading comprehension, i.e. to determine whether or not making use of translation has any effect on the EFL leaner's reading comprehension. 247 is needed by learners of English as a foreign language. Reading probably is the most generally needed skill in learning a second or foreign language (Robinson,1991). believed that "translation offers a crucial lesson in how to read, since it is a critical way into the text." She saw it as an effective means of forcing students to read texts thoughtfully and to concentrate on the lexical, grammatical and textual levels, and improving general knowledge, while "unveiling students' problems in comprehending (English) texts" . Teachers can stimulate the development of students' awareness by paying attention to terminology, register, slang, expression and idioms that may characterize an individual text . Translation can be a useful tool to analyze comprehension pitfalls, which may lead to problems in discourse processing . Reading comprehension exams are demanding to assess because they do not allow the instructor to find out how students have gotten their answers, and they don't take into account students' comprehension or interpretation of the comprehension questions themselves . In the English matriculation exam in Israel (Garb, 1997), tests that were once designed to have students read the texts in English at first, and then answer the comprehension questions in their L1 were put an end on the grounds that experts believed that these kinds of the tests did not provide the tester with enough evidence to assess the students' level of language production.
THE USE OF TRANSLATION IN READING COMPREHENSION OF THE SECOND LANGUAGE AMONG THE LEARNERS
English is a difficult and an important subject. Teachers find it difficult to teach English since it is not the first language or lingua franca of the students. Many students find it hard to understand the meaning of certain terms in English. Thus, hampering the learning process. This situation calls for teacher to provide techniques and strategies that will make English easier for the students to understand. As an educator, the researcher was motivated to conduct this action research on the use of translation in reading comprehension among the learners. The researcher wants to know the effect of this method on the academic performance of the students in terms of reading comprehension from the result of the diagnostic and achievement test. This action research utilized the experimental design. The scores of both the pretest and the posttest were taken and these data were coded, tallied, and were statistically treated using the mean, standard deviation, and t-test of significant difference. Based on the findings, it is proven that the use of translation is effective in enhancing the reading comprehension of the English language considering the higher scores of the experimental group compared to the control group.
The Effect of Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills on Translation Quality of Iranian EFL learners
International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 2015
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teaching reading comprehension skills on translation quality of EFL. In other words, this study sought to see if teaching reading comprehension skills had statically any significant impact translation quality of Iranian EFL learners and if yes, which reading comprehension skill was the most predictive of translation quality of Iranian EFL learners. In order to put this study into practice, these steps were taken. First, in order to assign subjects homogeneity, an OPT (oxford placement test) was given to BA students of English Literature at Beheshti University. Then, a pre-test on translation and a pre-test on reading comprehension were given to the subjects. In the next step, a treatment, on reading comprehension skills only, was given to the subjects. After that a test based on the treatment was given to the subjects. In the final step, two other post-tests, on reading comprehension and translation were given to the subjects to determine if teaching reading comprehension skills had any impact on translation quality of EFL subjects. As the data represents the translation quality of EFL students although increased after they were given some treatments on their reading comprehension; the correlation between reading comprehension skills and the translation quality was not significant (0.585).
Cogent Education
This study was conducted to examine the Iranian EFL university learners' and lecturers' attitude towards translation as a tool in reading comprehension. A sample of 50 male and female students of Nursing, Medicine and 10 male and female lecturers at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were randomly selected. Using an Oxford Placement Test (OPT), the students in each field were homogenized. Two different questionnaires were administered. In the students' questionnaire, items were about the functions of L1 in terms of translating in the EFL/ESL classroom based on, and the lecturers' questionnaire included items about their attitudes towards L1 use in reading comprehension classes. It came to light that students of different age and major did not differ widely in their attitudes towards using translation in reading nor did lecturers differ in their opinions regarding the application of translation. Moreover, the results supported the effectiveness of using translation activities in L2 classrooms to improve student's reading comprehension. This research is motivated by studies that suggest the use of L1 in ESL/EFL classroom can facilitate rather than impede target language learning.
Reading is an essential component of second language acquisition. Reading in a second language is not mostly regarded as a monolingual issue due to the fact that L2 learners resort to their first language to help them comprehend L2 texts. Hence, one of the ongoing challenges for language teachers is whether or not to use L1 in L2 instruction. The current study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of two instructional techniques of elaboration and translation for improving senior high school learners' reading comprehension. To do so, two groups were randomly selected and assigned into experimental and control groups. The reading comprehension texts were taught to the former group through elaboration and to the latter by translation as a traditional method which has commonly been employed by teachers nationwide. The analyses of the data obtained indicated a statistically significant difference between the translation group and the elaboration group. The elaboration group outperformed the translation group. The findings of the current study can have some crucial implications for second language teachers particularly those who seem highly reluctant to benefit from merits of reflective teaching and still insist on their traditional methods which have resulted in communicatively incompetent learners. (2013). A comparative study of the effect of translation and lexical elaboration on reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. Global Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 3(1), 01-07. 2
Middle school teachers' views and recommendations about using translation exercises in L2 reading comprehension classes, 2024
Reintroducing translation exercises in EFL classes has been advocated by theorists and scholars in the field. They highlighted the facilitative role of translation and called for paying attention to its position in FL teaching, especially with regard to the four skills (Atkinson, 1993, 1987; Auerbach, 1993; Deller & Riuvolucri, 2002). However, it is noted that little attention has been paid to suggesting practical pedagogical and methodological recommendations of a possible use of translation exercises in EFL teaching. In the present paper, we aim at exploring teachers' views and recommendations towards using translation exercises in the teaching of reading comprehension to beginners in Moroccan middle schools. To do this, the study employed a qualitative method of research. Despite Covid-19 discouraging conditions and the difficulty of finding teachers who have been teaching English in middle schools continuously, ten teachers who use the same textbook with the same level of learners were interviewed. Analysis revealed that the interviewees are positive about using translation in beginners' reading comprehension classes on condition that the activities are short and well-controlled, should come in the initial and the final stages of the lesson, particularly with culture-based reading material.
EFL Learners' Use of Translation as a Learning Strategy
The purpose of the study was to explore whether learners use translation as a learning strategy in learning English. For this purpose, the research sought answers for the research questions investigating about the type of translation related strategies employed by Turkish EFL learners in learning English and the effects of some factors on the use of translation as a learning strategy. In reviewing the literature, it was seen that that language learners use some strategies in their foreign language learning process. Cognitive strategies were suggested to be one of language learning strategies that are mostly used by learners in improving their skills in the foreign language. In addition, it was also seen that, as one of the cognitive strategies, translation was used in learning a language by foreign language learners. Although some teachers and researchers present negative attitudes towards the use of this strategy in teaching a language, some put emphasis on the necessity and the role of translation in the development of learning. The researchers conducted a quantitative research with 159 students about the use of translation as a learning strategy. The participants were attending at a preparatory class in a state university and their ages ranged between 18 and 34. A questionnaire was comprised of some information concerning the students' gender and education background and translation strategy use. Data were statistically using SPSS package program and the results were presented in the tables. The findings showed that most of the learners use translation as a learning strategy and find it useful and important especially in thinking in their native language first and translate into the target language. Furthermore, it was seen that the learners with high proficiency level utilize translation as a learning strategy less than those with low proficiency level. Based on these findings of the study some recommendations were yielded.
Journal of Studies in Education, 2015
This study focused on the comparative impact of teaching reading comprehension and translation practice on EFL learners' grammar achievement since previous studies have not directly dealt with the respective subject. In this study the total number of learners was 60 students attending in Poyandegan Rahe Kish institute. The current study utilized quantitative research methods to explore the implications of reading comprehension and translation by comparing their success rates in terms of grammar. Sixty participants out of 120 after going through a proficiency test for homogenization and a pilot test on the grammar questionnaire were divided into two experimental groups receiving instruction on reading comprehension in one group and translation in another each in 12 sessions (two sessions dedicated for pre and post test). At the end of the treatment, sample TOEFL grammar questionnaires were administered to both groups. To test the hypothesis, a T-test was employed concluding that the participants who received translation instruction and reading comprehension on grammar achievement. The analysis of data using an independent sample t-test indicated significant
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022
This study aimed to explore the differences in processes done by students with different foreign language proficiencies in translating an English text into Indonesian. The subjects of the study were 27 students majoring in English Education, Ganesha University of Education, Indonesia. The data were gathered using two types of instruments, namely test and questionnaire. There were two types of tests, namely the TOEFL-like test and the translation test. The translation results were scored using three criteria proposed by Larson (1984), namely accuracy, clarity, and naturalness. The two first instruments were used to gain quantitative data. The gathered data by these instruments were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Test Method. The questionnaire was used to gain qualitative data. These gathered data were analyzed based on the translation process theory proposed by Bell (1991). The findings show that foreign language proficiency does influence students' translation ability with a coefficient of determination of 0.347. It leads to an interpretation that the translation process can also have a valuable influence on the ability of the students in translating English texts into Indonesian. It is supported by the results of qualitative data analyses that show the more processes the students do, the higher the score of their translation. These findings implicate that translation process theory is one of the important factors in translation training for undergraduate students.