Advantages And Disadvantages Of Translation In Teaching

CHAPTER I

Background and Purpose

1.1. Introduction

For a long time, translation has been a controversial issue on whether it can be an instructional tool in language learning classrooms or not. From the beginning of the twentieth century, there has been several arguments against using translation as a language teaching tool. Translation as a language learning activity was considered as being unsuitable within the context of foreign language learning (Brown, 2002). It was also criticized by Newson (1988), Carreres (2006), Marsh (1987), and Owen (2003). They have presented some disadvantages of using translation as an instructional tool in language classrooms. From an opposite perspective, translation, misconceived and overused, could be seen as a victim of the grammar- translation method (GTM), rather than the source of its evils. The problem was not as such, but a teaching methodology that separated language from its communicative function. (Mogahed, 2011). In fact, translation itself as it takes place in the real life has a direct relationship with communicative purposes. As Duff (1989:6) maintains, "translation happens everywhere, all the time, so why not in the classroom?" Confusion is at times made between “translation” and L1. Although these two terms are often seen as synonymous they are not the same thing as they involve different skills and strategies as also acknowledged by González-Davies –Scott-Tennent (2009) (Leonardi, 2011). These terms are not interchangeable