Teaching secondary
school aged students

Translation
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What and Why?

As a technique in language learning and teaching, translation used to be very popular. In recent years, however, it has fallen out of favour. There has been concern that an over-use of translation encourages the students to produce very strange sounding English. Too much translation can also prevent students from developing fluency in the language as they develop the habit of going through their mother tongue. Yet, used appropriately, there are a number of reasons why translation, as a teaching technique, still offers considerable benefits. Students, especially in the initial stages do translate. It is, in fact, impossible to learn anything unless you find ways of integrating it into what you already know - for the beginning student this is the mother tongue. It is thus important that the teacher is able to ensure that students have the correct translation in their minds. Translation can also help students be themselves - they can express what they want to say and then learn how to say those same things in English. It is also useful as a planning device, (e.g. before writing) where trying to plan in English would prevent the flow of ideas.

Practical ideas

  • You can deal with basic vocabulary problems through translation. This saves time compared with long explanations and ensures the correct meaning is understood.
  • Students can play the translation game, where a `non-English speaking' student says something in the mother tongue and another student has to interpret for him/her.
  • Brainstorming can be done in the mother tongue, but as you put the ideas up on the board or a poster, you can translate them into English. Students can then learn from seeing their ideas in English
  • Before doing a role play, writing a passage, preparing questions or an exercise, students can first plan things out in their mother tongue, all the time thinking of what they are able to say in English. Planning in the mother tongue can prevent language problems interfering with the generating ideas.