THE GRAMMAR-

TRANSLATION METHOD
 History
• The grammar-translation method of foreign or second language
teaching (which owes its name to its making use of translation and
grammar study as the main teaching and learning activities) is one of
the most traditional methods.
• The Grammar-Translation Method was called the Classical Method
since it was first used in the teaching of the classical languages, Latin
and Greek (Chastian, 1988).
• This approach emerged in the 15th century, and was historically /
originally used in the study and teaching of Greek and Latin in Europe,
which were 'dead' languages (and literatures), involving little or no
spoken communication or listening comprehension.
• This may account for its heavy bias towards written work to the
virtual exclusion of oral production.
• The GTM dominated language teaching from the 1840s (the mid of
the nineteenth century) to the 1940s.
• As modern vernacular languages began to replace Latin, they were
taught using the same basic procedures that were used for teaching
Latin.
• Thus the method became the standard way /was generalized to
teaching modern languages such as French, German and English.
• Because the GTM emphasizes reading rather than the ability to
communicate in language there was a reaction to it in the 19th
century.
• The Grammar translation method stayed in schools until the 1960s
when a complete foreign language pedagogy evaluation was taking
place. Teachers experimented with approches like the direct method
in post-war and depression era classrooms.
• It may be still be used today because of the lack of pressure put on
the teacher, who is not required to speak the L2.
 Objectives
• 1. To read literature in target language
• The ultimate objective of the method is to be able to read and
understand written target language literature through the study of
the grammar of the target language.
• The culture of the target language is confined to the literature
and the fine arts
• 2. To develop minds
• It was thought that foreign language learning would help
students grow intellectually. Language learning is a mental exercise,
learning a foreign language is a good mental exercise for students.
Learning of the target language empowers students mentally (it was
recognized that students would probably never use the target
language, but the mental exercise of learning it would be beneficial
anyway.)
• The ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal
of foreign language instruction in this method. Hence the emphasis
on reading and writing, rather than listening and speaking.
 Principles
• Literary language is superior to the spoken language.
• Translating each language into each other is an important goal for learners.
• The authority in the classroom is the teacher.
• The primary skills to be improved are reading and writing. Little attention is
given to speaking and listening and almost none to pronunciation.
• Its focus is on accuracy and not fluency.
• It seemed there was no need for students to master the four skills of English
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
• To be able to communicate with target language’s speakers is not among the
goals.
 Characteristics
• The method focuses on learning the rules of grammar and their
application in translating passages from one language into the other.
• Grammar is taught with extensive and elaborate explanations
provided in the native language, and only later applied in the
production of sentences through translation from one language to the
other. eg: • Do you have my book? = ¿Tienes mi libro? • I don't know
where your book is = No sé donde está tu libro
• Vocabulary in the target language is taught in the form of isolated
word lists through direct translation from the native language. e.g.
with vocabulary lists such as: • the house = la casa • the mouse = el
ratón.
• Reading of difficult texts is begun early in the course of study. Little
attention is paid to the content of texts.
• Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected
sentences.
• Little or no attention is given to pronunciation.
• Classes are taught in the students' mother tongue, i.e. very little
teaching is done in the target language. Instead, readings in the target
language are translated directly and then discussed in the native
language.
 The Method
• A typical lesson / A chapter in a distinctive textbook of this method (Grammar Translation
Style) in the mid-nineteenth century would consist of the following:
1 (Study Vocabulary) - begin with a study of a massive bilingual vocabulary list.
2 (Study Grammar) - preparation of a grammatical rule - Grammar points come directly
from the texts and are presented contextually in the textbook. This would be explained
and elaborated by the instructor. Grammar thus provided the rules for assembling words
into sentences.
3 (Translation Exercise) - Tedious Translation (of a passage) and grammar drills would be
used to exercise and strengthen the knowledge without much attention to context.
Sentences would be translated and eventually entire texts would be translated from the
target language into the native language. Very little attention was placed on pronunciation
or any communicative aspects of the language. The skill exercised was reading and
then only in the context of translation.
 Positive Points:
• Classes are taught in the students' mother tongue, making it easier
for the beginner.
• Focus on vocabulary and translation of vocabulary, thus making it
easy to learn vocabulary for beginners.
• Elaborate explanations of grammar are always provided. Students are
conscious of the grammatical rules of the target language. (Deductive
grammar )
• Grammar instruction provides the rules for putting words together;
instruction often focuses on the form and inflection of words.
• Learning is facilitated through attention to similarities
between the target language and the native language,
but beware of cases of misleading similarity=faux
amis.
• The grammar-translation method seems to be the
easiest for a teacher to employ. It doesn't require a
teacher to speak good target language or make good
lesson preparations.
 Negative Points
• Classes are taught in the students’ native language, with little active
use of the target language. No class time is allocated to allow
students to produce their own sentences.
• There is often little contextualization of the grammar
• The type of error correction can be harmful to the students’ learning
processes.
• Vocabulary is taught in the form of isolated word lists.
• Reading of difficult texts is begun early in the course of study. Little attention
is paid to the content of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical
analysis.
• The primary focus is memorization of words, grammar rules and vocabulary.
• Often the only drills are exercises in translating whole texts or disconnected
sentences from the target language into the mother tongue, and vice versa –
word for word.
• Little or no attention is given to pronunciation.
• The Language produced is not natural.
• Meaning is not fully understood/grasped.
• It is usually regarded as non-communicative, non-motivational.
• The only thing students may gain from this method is the ability to read and
interpret a text.
• The teaching of conversation is postponed and
underestimated.
• This method gives pupils the wrong idea of what language is.
In fact, language is seen as a collection or words which are
isolated and independent.
• Worst effect of this method is on pupil's motivation. Because
(s)he cannot succeed, this leads to frustration, boredom and
indiscipline.
• It does virtually nothing to enhance the student's
communicative ability in the language. • An inability to
verbally communicate using the target language.
 Roles in the Classroom
• Teacher role is Traditional: the teacher is the authority in the
classroom.
• Student role: it is very important that students get the
correct answer.
• Student errors/Error correction: the correct answer
important. If a student’s answer of a question is incorrect,
the teacher selects a different student to give the correct
answer or (s)he replies himself/herself. There is little student-
student interaction.
 Techniques
• Memorize the following: I am, You are, He/she/it is, We are, They are.
• Practice exercises to apply the grammatical notions in a deductive
way.
• Memorization of long vocabulary lists.
• Reading comprehension and vocabulary exercises of a text.
• Translation of literary texts.
• Compositions.
• Assessment/Exams to evaluate the capacity to understand written
texts and to translate sentences
 Evaluation
• Learning is understood as a result of a great intellectual effort where
the memorization of rules and vocabulary is necessary.
• Written tests in which students are asked to translate from their
native language to the target language or vice versa are often used.
• If students can translate from one language into another, they are
considered successful language learners.