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Grammar Translation Method - Meaning, Merits, Demerits & Techniques

The Grammar Translation Method is a method for teaching foreign languages that focuses on translating sentences word-for-word between the native and target languages. Key characteristics include using the native language for instruction, emphasizing reading and writing over speaking and listening, and teaching formal grammar rules. Common techniques are filling in blanks, using new words in sentences, topic compositions, passage translations, and comprehension questions. While it helps with vocabulary and grammar, criticisms note that it does not develop strong conversational skills.

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Meer Adil Hussain
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5K views10 pages

Grammar Translation Method - Meaning, Merits, Demerits & Techniques

The Grammar Translation Method is a method for teaching foreign languages that focuses on translating sentences word-for-word between the native and target languages. Key characteristics include using the native language for instruction, emphasizing reading and writing over speaking and listening, and teaching formal grammar rules. Common techniques are filling in blanks, using new words in sentences, topic compositions, passage translations, and comprehension questions. While it helps with vocabulary and grammar, criticisms note that it does not develop strong conversational skills.

Uploaded by

Meer Adil Hussain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Grammar Translation Method-


Meaning, Merits, Demerits &
Techniques
Grammar Translation Method is a method of learning any foreign

language by the practice of translating or converting the


sentences of the native language into the target language or vice

versa. In GTM classes, students learn grammar rules of the foreign


language and try to apply those rules to the native language to

convert it into the foreign one.

Advanced classes of GTM enable students to convert the whole

paragraph even, word to word, and to advance their intellectual


development. Basically, learning any foreign languages and mental
discipline and Language translation has a goal of enabling the
students to learn the foreign literature in its original form. In this

article, the concept of the grammar translation method will be


:
discussed and some techniques or approaches used in
translation will be thoroughly explained.

Characteristics of GTM:-
It helps to learn a foreign language and its correct sentence
structure.

Allows the students to be able to read and write a new


language.

To enable students to use interchangeable words and


phrases.

They get to learn new vocabulary and new words.

It does not enable students’ skills in listening and speaking of


foreign language.

GTM classes are primarily conducted in the mother tongue.

Focus on pronunciation and communication aspects is lesser


than reading and writing.

The procedure of Grammar Translate


Method –
1. In the !rst step, a paragraph is read by a teacher, and some
:
di"cult words are marked out of it.

2. Secondly, these marked words are converted into the native


language of students.

3. Then, a paragraph is read once again and is translated by a


teacher, line by line.

4. Then all the Grammatical items are taught about to students.

5. Students can also be asked to convert the passage of their


native language into a foreign language to make it more clear to
them.

Merits of Grammar Translation Method


It makes the concept more clear and new words, phrases, and
vocabulary is introduced.

Learning gets easy as the conduction is done in the native


language.

It promotes the skills of reading and writing e#ectively.

For class conduction, very less teacher material aid is needed

and also, this method can be taught in overcrowded classes.

Students feel comfortable as the mother tongue is used to


:
teach any foreign language and they are free to ask the

questions in between.

Demerits of Grammar Translation


Method
One of the major disadvantages of GTM is that it restricts the

skills of speaking and listening to a foreign language.

The natural order of learning any language is listening,


speaking, reading, and writing. But, in GTM, reading is facilitated

!rst.

Proper conversational skills in a foreign language still remain a

hurdle.

GTM focuses on formal and bookish grammar rules. So it


does not enhance proper learning of the foreign language.

It takes time to translate each and every word under GTM as

students are well versed in their mother tongue and they need
time to think to Translate.

Techniques of GTM
1. Filling the blanks
:
The teacher gives the exercises of some sentences or passages

where some blanks will be there and students are asked to !ll that
missing words as per their own knowledge of translation or

vocabulary of the foreign language.

These blanks can be out of the literary texts or the chapter which

has been taught by the teacher previously.

2. Use words in sentences


This is a very common technique where the teacher gives some
new words from the vocabulary to the students and students will

be asked to make new sentences by using that word in their


sentence. It is generally called make the sentences.

In this, the students are judged whether they have understood


the new word correctly or whether they use the word in the

sentence correctly or not.

3. Topic composition
In this technique, students are asked to write any passage on the

given topic by the teacher. They will be expected to write a few

lines about the topic.


:
4. Passage translation
In contrary to the previous point, a passage or a piece of text will
be provided to the students and they will be asked to translate

that whole passage, word to word, in their notebooks via writing


or speaking.

The main aim of passage translation is to make them understand


that the grammar of the native language and foreign language is

di#erent and the word usage should be accurately done.

5. Comprehension questions
This technique is generally used in teaching any foreign language.
In this, an unseen passage will be given to the students out of

which they will be asked some questions and they are expected to
answer that questions in their native language or the foreign

language whatever they want.

The main purpose of this technique is to !nd out that whether the

students are able to translate the passage in their language and

able to !nd out the answers.

6. Word meanings
:
The grammar translation method can never be complete without

the knowledge of proper vocabulary and some important words


of the foreign language. So this is one of the techniques where

the teacher makes the students memorize all the di"cult

vocabulary on their own and students are expected to learn those

words in order to translate them if they are found out in the lines

anywhere in the texts of foreign language.

7. Inference building
This is again, one of the common and widely used practice by the

teachers to teach grammar translation method to the students. In


this technique, again, a literary text will be provided to the

students out of their books. They will be asked to write the central

idea of the passage in their own words.

In this way, they will be able to translate the passage and they can

write something in foreign language in their own words too.

8. Summary writing
Similar to the previous point, a chapter will be discussed among

the students in the mother tongue. At the end of the chapter,

students will be given the exercise of writing a summary of that


:
story or chapter. It is one of the common techniques to teach

GTM to the students and it is widely accepted.

Just like writing a central idea, the summary is much more than

that. It aids the students in translating and writing the text in a

foreign language in their own words.

Criticisms
GTM is not away from criticisms too. Many authors and literary

heads have condemned this approach as they believed that, this

method just facilitates reading and writing skills but does not

focus on conversational skills.

It also makes the students dull and boring as they get habitual of

translating each line word by word and do not get quick in


translation. This method also takes much time to translate.

Moreover, despite learning the vocabulary of a new language, they


will not be much able to communicate with others as they only

know how to write and take time for it. That’s why, I hear many of

the students saying, “mam, can we write instead of speaking?”

Conclusion
:
GTM is nothing but a method of teaching any foreign language in

its simplest way. It is one of the oldest methods used since ages

to teach Latin or Greek languages and now, modern languages


too. English as a foreign language can be easily learned with this

method.

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Dr. Roma

Content Writer
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