King Khalid University

College of Science & Arts / Muhayil

Applied Linguistic (2)

ENG 423
The Grammar –Translation Method

Applied Linguistic (2)

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Grammar –Translation Method
GTM
The grammar-translation method of foreign
language teaching is one of the most traditional
methods Which is also called (Classical Method),
dating back to the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. It was originally used to
teach 'dead' languages such as Latin and Greek
and literatures. GTM is associated with Moses .

Applied Linguistic (2)

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Goals of the GTM

A- Helping the students to read and appreciate

foreign languages.
B- Studying the grammar of target language
make students familiar with their native
language, and the familiarity would help them
speak and write their native language better.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Advantages of the GTM (1)

• The phraseology of the target language is quickly explained.

• Translation is the easiest way of explaining meanings or
words and phrases from one language into another.
• Any other method of explaining vocabulary items in the
second language is found time consuming. A lot of time is
wasted if the meanings of lexical items are explained through
definitions and illustrations in the second language.
• Learners acquire some sort of accuracy in understanding
synonyms in the source language and the target language.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Advantages of the GTM(2)

• Teacher’s labor is saved. Since the textbooks are taught

through the medium of the mother tongue, the teacher
may ask comprehension questions on the text taught in the
mother tongue.
• Pupils will not have much difficulty in responding to
questions in the mother tongue. So, the teacher can easily
assess whether the students have learned what he has
taught them.
• Communication between the teacher and the learner does
not cause linguistic problems. Even teachers who are not
fluent in English can teach English through this method.
That is perhaps the reason why this method has been
practiced so widely and has survived so long till 1960th and
may be practiced in many developing countries.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Disadvantages of the GTM (1)
• It is an unnatural method. The natural order
of learning a language is listening, speaking,
reading and writing. That is the way a child
learns his mother tongue in natural
surroundings; but, in the Grammar Translation
Method the teaching of the second language
starts with the teaching of reading. Thus, the
learning process is reversed. This poses
problems.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Disadvantages of the GTM(2)
• Speech is neglected. The Grammar Translation Method
lays emphasis on reading and writing. It neglects
speech. Thus, the students who are taught English
through this method fail to express themselves
adequately in spoken English. Even at the
undergraduate stage they feel shy of communicating
using English. It has been observed that in a class,
which is taught English through this method, learners
listen to the mother tongue more than that to the
second/foreign language. Since language learning
involves habit formation such students fail to acquire a
habit of speaking English. Therefore, they have to pay a
heavy price for being taught through this method.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Disadvantages of the GTM(3)
• Exact translation is not possible. Translation is, indeed, a difficult
task and exact translation from one language to another is not
always possible. A language is the result of various customs,
traditions, and modes of behavior of a speech community and these
traditions differ from community to community. There are several
lexical items in one language, which have no synonyms or
equivalents in another language. For example, the meaning of the
English word ‘table’ does not fit in such expressions as 'table of
contents’, ‘table of figures’, ‘multiplication table’, ‘time table’ and
‘table the resolution’, etc. English prepositions are also difficult to
translate. Consider sentences such as ‘We see with our eyes’, ‘He
died of cholera’. In these sentences ‘with’, and ‘of’ can be translated
into the Arabic preposition ‘‫ ’ب‬and vice versa. Each language has its
own structure, idiom and usage, which do not have their exact
counterparts in another language. Thus, translation should be
considered an index of one’s proficiency in a language.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Disadvantages of the GTM(4)
• It does not give pattern practice. A person can learn a language only
when he internalizes its patterns to the extent that they form his
habit. But the Grammar Translation Method does not provide any
such practice to the learner of a language. It rather attempts to
teach language through rules and not by use. Researchers in
linguistics have proved that to speak any language, whether native
or foreign, entirely by rule is quite impossible. Language learning
means acquiring certain skills, which can be learned through
practice and not by just memorizing rules. The persons who have
learned a foreign or second language through this method find it
difficult to give up the habit of first thinking in their mother tongue
and then translating their ideas into the second language. They,
therefore, fail to get proficiency in the second language
approximating that in the first language. The method, therefore,
suffers from certain weaknesses for which there is no remedy.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
Goal of teachers who use GTM

• The fundamental purpose of using GTM is to

learn foreign language to be able to read
literature written in target language . By
learning grammar and vocabulary of target
language.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 Role of the teacher & role of the
students in GTM
Traditional roles:
• Teacher is the authority in the class-room.
• Students do as the teacher says.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
Characteristics of teaching and learning
process of GTM
• Students are taught to translate from one
language to another.
• Students study grammar deductively .
• Students learn grammatical paradigms such as
verb conjunctions.
• Students memorize native-language
equivalents for target- language vocabulary.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
Nature of student-teacher & student- student
interaction

• Most interaction in the classroom is from the

teacher to the students.
• Little students initiation and little students
interaction

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
How language is viewed ?
How culture is viewed ?
• Literary language is consider superior to
spoken language and therefore the language
that students study.
• Culture is viewed as consisting of literature of
and fine arts

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
Role of Students’ native language

• The meaning of target language is made by

translating it into students’ native language.
• The language that is used in the class is mostly
the students’ native language.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
How is evaluation is accomplished ?

• Written test , students are asked to translate

from the target language to the native
language or vice versa.
• Questions about target culture or questions
that asked the students to apply grammar
rule.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
How does the teacher respond to students errors?

• Having the students get the correct answer is

considered very important ,if the students
make errors or do not know an answer , the
teacher supplies them with correct answer.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 How to Apply the GTM (1)
In Saudi Arabia Arabic is the native language and the target language which is
taught is English.

• Let us try to teach the passage

• Each student is called on to read a few lines from the passage.
• The teacher helps with translation.
• After they have finished reading they are asked to translate into Arabic the
few lines they have just read.
• When the students finished reading the teacher asked in Arabic if they
have any questions. One student raises his hand and asks: “what is the
meaning of……..” the teacher answer in Arabic "……………..".
• Then the teacher asks the students to answer the comprehension
questions at the end of the passage in English in their exercise books after
doing the first question as example. Then each student is asked to answer
a question and if the answer is incorrect the teacher ask another student
to supply with the correct answer.

Applied Linguistic (2)

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 How to Apply the GTM(2)
• In addition to questions that ask for information contained
within the reading passage the students answer two other types
of questions. The first examine their understanding such as:
“Do you think ……………?”. The second type requires the
students to relate the passage to their own experience such as
“Have you ever experienced …………….? What was your
feeling?”
• The teacher asks the students to translate the new words in
Arabic in their exercise book.
• The teacher asks the students to find the opposite (antonyms)
words in the passage” , because some time the students were
able to find equivalent in Arabic.
• The students are given a grammar rule for use such as the past
simple tense. Applied Linguistic (2)
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 How to Apply the GTM (3)
• The students apply the rule to the exercise in the
book.
• Students memorize vocabulary as a language
mental exercise.
• Students memorize present tense, past tense and
past participle forms of irregular verbs.
• The students write a composition about the story
he learned in English language
• The role of the teacher is traditional he is the
authority of the class room and the students do as
they are told to do.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 Reviewing the techniques
• Translation of literary passages: students
translate from the target language into their
native language
• Reading comprehension questions: students
answer question based on their understating
of the passage on the target language .
• Antonyms/ synonyms: students are asked to
find Antonyms in the reading passages or find
synonyms for a particular set of words.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 Reviewing the techniques
• Cognates : students are taught to recognize
cognates by learning the spelling or sound
pattern correspond between the languages.
• Deductive application of rule : Grammar rules
are presented with examples , exceptions of
rules are also noted.
• Fill in the blanks : students are given series of
sentences with words missing or a particular
grammar type such as a preposition or verbs with
different tenses .
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 Reviewing the techniques
• Memorization : Students are given lists of target
language vocabulary words and their equivalents
and they are asked to memorize them .
• Use words in sentences : in order to show that
students understand the meaning and use of the
new vocabulary item, they make sentences in
which they use the new words.
• Composition: the teacher gives the students a
topic to write about in the target lanaguge.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 YouTubes
Please check the attached links
• Grammar Translation Method
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCLM7ZXp2nc
#action=share
• The Grammar Translation Method
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO14GvgOXfM
#action=share
• The Implementation of The Grammar
Translation Method
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGkCVB2reYQ
#action=share

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad