Grammar -Translation

By: Myrna C. Egos

A.B. English-3
The Grammar-Translation Method

" a method of foreign or second

language teaching which makes
use of translation and grammar
study as the main teaching and
learning activities."

---Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2002). Longman Dictionary

of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Pearson Education
Limited. pp.231.
History
 Dates back to Erasmus 1466-1536
 Originally used to teach Latin and
Greek in the late 19 th and early 20 th
centuries
 Earlier in 20th century, this method
was used for the purpose of helping
students read and appreciate foreign
language literature.
 Background

 Traditional method of second language

teaching in schools
 Most common language teaching method
 Stressed the literacy development
 Teacher centered
Introduction
 Original purposes
 Helping students read and

appreciate foreign language

literature
 Students can become more familiar

with the grammar of their native

language also write and speak their
native language better
 Helpful for mental exercise
 Key Features

Prator and Celce-Murcia in Teaching English as a Second Foreign

Language (1979:3), 

 Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little

active use of the target language.  
 Much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists of
isolated words. 
 Long elaborate explanations of the intricacies of
grammar are given.  
 Grammar provides the rules for putting words
together, and instruction often focuses on the form
and inflection of words.  
 Reading of difficult classical texts is begun
early. 
 Little attention is paid to the content of texts,
which are treated as exercises in grammatical
analysis.  
 Often the only drills are exercises in
translating disconnected sentences from the
target language into the mother tongue.  
Principles and Techniques
 Translation of a literary passage
 Students will be asked to read a

literary passage and then translate the

target language into their native
language
 Translation may be written or spoken

 Translation made by the students can

show that they understand their

meaning
Advantages
 Easiest for teachers to use
 Does not require teachers to speak good
English or make good lesson
preparations.
 Only uses the textbook
 Least stressful for students-teaching occurs
in the first language
 Students learn the new language without
contact with native speakers.
Disadvantages
 Students lack comprehension-only
translating word-for-word
 Does not allow students to create
meaning in English
 Students do not learn to read.
 Extensive memorization
 Very little student/teacher and
student/student interaction
Principles and Techniques
 The ability of communicating in the
target language is not a goal
 The students ask questions in their
native language and are also answered
by the teacher also in their native
language
 The teacher asks students in their
native language
Principles and Techniques
 Deductive application of rules
 It is important for students to

learn about the forms(grammar

rules) of the target language
 Grammar rules are presented with

examples
 Students are asked to apply the

rules to examples they are given

Principles and Techniques
 Reading comprehension questions
 Students answer these questions in the
target language
 Answers to the questions may be in the
reading text, or based on the
understanding of the students or
students’ own experiences related to
the text
Principles and Techniques
 Teacher as the authority
 Teacher decides whether the students’
answers are correct
 It is important for students to get the
correct answers
 If students answer incorrectly, the
teacher will provide the correct answer
Principles and Techniques
 Memorization

 Students are asked to memorize new

words, grammatical rules, and verb
conjugation
Principles and Techniques
 Fill-in-the-blanks
 Teacher give students sentences with

word missing
 Students should fill in the blanks

with the new vocabulary or with a

particular grammar type
Principles and Techniques
 Use words in sentences
 Students are asked to make up sentences

with the new words they learn in the

text
 This technique can show whether

students really understand the new

words
Principles and Techniques
 Composition
 Students are asked to write a
composition in the target language
 The topic is based on some aspect of
the reading passage
 Conclusion

Teaching involves any instructional

technique that draws learners' attention
to some specific grammatical form in such
a way that it helps them either to
understand it metalinguistically and/or
process it in comprehension and/or
production so that they can internalize it.
Thank You!!!