GRAMMAR TRANSLATION
METHOD
1. At one time this method was called the Classical Method since it was
first used in the teaching of the classical languages, Latin and Greek.
2. This method was used for the purpose of helping students read and
appreciate foreign language literature.
3. Through the study of the grammar of the target language, students
would become more familiar with the grammar of their native
language.
4. A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to
read literature written in it.
5. Literary language is superior to spoken language.
6. Students' study of the target culture is limited to its literature and fine
arts.
7. An important goal is for students to be able to translate each
language into the other.
8. The ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal of
foreign language instruction.
9. The primary skills to be developed are reading and writing. Little
attention is given to speaking and listening, and almost none to
pronunciation.
10. The teacher is the authority in the classroom. It is very
important that students get the correct answer.
11. In GTM, it is possible to find native language equivalents for all
target language words.
12. Learning is facilitated through attention to similarities between
the target language and the native language.
13. In GTM, deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a
useful pedagogical technique.
14. Language learning provides good mental exercise.
15. Wherever possible, verb conjugations and other grammatical
paradigms should be committed to memory.
16. It is important for students to learn about the form of the target
language.
17. In GTM, a fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is
to be able to read literature written in the target language. To do
this, students need to learn about the grammar rules and
vocabulary of the target language. In addition, it is believed that
studying a foreign language provides students with good mental
exercise which helps develop their minds.
18. Students study grammar deductively; that is, they are given the
grammar rules and examples, are told to memorize them, and
then are asked to apply the rules to other examples.
19. Most of the interaction in the classroom is from the teacher to
the students. There is little student initiation and little student-
student interaction.
20. Culture is viewed as consisting of literature and the fine arts.
21. Vocabulary and grammar are emphasized. Reading and
writing are the primary skills that the students work on. There is much
less attention given to speaking and listening. Pronunciation
receives little, if any, attention.
22. The language that is used in class is mostly the students' native
language.
23. Written tests in which students are asked to translate from
their native language to the target language or vice versa are often
used.
Techniques:
Translation of a literary passage
1. Students translate a reading passage from the target language into
their native language.
2. The passage may be excerpted from some work from the target
language literature, or a teacher may write a passage carefully
designed to include particular grammar rules and vocabulary.
Reading comprehension questions
1. Students answer questions in the target language based on their
understanding of the reading passage.
2. Often the questions are sequenced so that the first group of questions
asks for information contained within the reading passage.
3. In order to answer the second group of questions, students will have to
make inferences based on their understanding of the passage.
4. The third group of questions requires students to relate the passage to
their own experience.
Antonyms/synonyms
1. Students are given one set of words and are asked to find antonyms in
the reading passage.
2. A similar exercise could be done by asking students to find synonyms
for a particular set of words.
Cognates
1. Students are taught to recognize cognates by learning the spelling or
sound patterns that correspond between the languages. Students are
also asked to memorize words that look like cognates but have
meanings in the target language that are different from those in the
native language. This technique, of course, would only be useful in
languages that share cognates.
Deductive application of rule
1. Grammar rules are presented with examples. Exceptions to each
rule are also noted. Once students understand a rule, they are asked to
apply it to some different examples.
Fill-in-the-blanks
1. Students are given a series of sentences with words missing. They fill in
the blanks with new vocabulary items or with items of a particular
grammar type, such as prepositions or verbs with different tenses.
Memorization
1. Students are given lists of target language vocabulary words and their
native language equivalents and are asked to memorize them.
Students are also required to memorize grammatical rules and
grammatical paradigms such as verb conjugations.
Use words in sentences
1. In order to show that students understand the meaning and use of a
new vocabulary item, they make up sentences in which they use the
new words.
Composition
1. The teacher gives the students a topic to write about in the target
language. The topic is based upon some aspect of the reading passage
of the lesson. Sometimes, instead of creating a composition, students
are asked to prepare a précis of the reading passage.
THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD (GTM)
MERITS
1. The method requires few specialized skills on the part of teachers.
2. Tests of grammar rules and of translation are easy to construct and
can be objectively scored.
3. This method is successful in leading a student towards a reading
knowledge in L2.
DEFECTS
1. GTM does nothing to enhance a student’s communicative ability in
L2.
2. Foreign language learning is a tedious experience of memorizing
endless list of unusable grammar rules and vocabulary and attempting
to produce perfect translation of literary prose.
3. The method has no advocates. There is no literature that offers a
rational or justification for it.
4. Little stress is paid on accurate pronunciation.
5. Students work hard on vocabulary learning, translation, endless written
exercises without much progress in the mastery of the language and
with little opportunity to express themselves through it.
