The Grammar Translation Method

The Grammar Translation Method is the oldest method of teaching in India. It is as old
as the international of English in the country. A number of methods and techniques
have been evolved for the teaching of English and also other foreign languages in the
recent past, yet this method is still in use in many part of India. It maintains the mother
tongue of the learner as the reference particularly in the process of learning the
second/foreign languages. The main principles on which the Grammar Translation
Method is based are the following:
(i) Translation interprets the words and phrases of the foreign languages in the best
possible manner.
(ii) The phraseology and the idiom of the target language can best be assimilated in the
process of interpretation.
(iii) The structures of the foreign languages are best learnt when compared and contrast
with those of mother tongue.

In this method, while teaching the text book the teacher translates every word, phrase
from English into the mother tongue of learners. Further, students are required to
translate sentences from their mother tongue into English. These exercises in
translation are based on various items covering the grammar of the target language. The
method emphasizes the study of grammar through deduction that is through the study
of the rules of grammar. A contrastive study of the target language with the mother
tongue gives an insight into the structure not only of the foreign language but also of the
mother tongue.

Advantages:
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. Further, learners acquire some
short of accuracy in understanding synonyms in the source language and the target
language.
2. Teachers labour 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 on the
mother tongue. So, the teacher can easily assess whether the students have learnt what
he has taught them. Communication between the teacher and the learnersdoes 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.

Disadvantages:
1. It is an unnatural method. The natural order of learning a language is listening,
speaking, reading and writing. That is the way how the 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.
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 through 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 habit of speaking English.
Thus, they have to pay a heavy price for being taught through this method.
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 behaviour of a speech community and
these traditions differ from community to community. There are several lexical items in
one language, which have no synonyms/equivalents in another language. For instance,
the meaning of the English word table does not fit in such expression as the 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, Bombay is far from Delhi, He died of cholera, He succeeded
through hard work. In these sentences with, from, of, through can be translated
into the Hindi preposition se and 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 ones proficiency in a language.
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
learnt through practice and not by just memorizing rules. The persons who have learnt a
foreign or second language through this method find it difficult to give up the habit of
first thinking in their mother tongue and than 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
POSTED BY PURWARNO AT FRI DAY, JANUARY 13, 2006

GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION (Indirect) Method
Application of methods used in Latin and Greek to teaching of modern languages.
Rules of grammar, not the language itself, are all important. Verb declensions are set
out tables, vocabulary lists to be learned, leading to translation from mother tongue
into target language and vice-versa. Little or no attention to pronunciation.
Assumption was that language consists of written words and of words which exist in
isolation, as though they were individual bricks which could be translated one by one
into their foreign equivalents and then assessed according to grammatical rules into
sentences in the foreign language.
Underlying justification for such a method rested upon belief that what should be
taught was not the language itself but the faculty of logical thought and provided
valuable mental discipline, equal to the classics.
the learner wouldacquire the skill of translating in writing from MT to FL and
from FL to MT

spoken form of FL played very little part in the learning process

language was merely a deductive process: from data or a set of rules presented,
learner had to create sentences in FL through transfer techniques.
DISADVANTAGES
1 Even if learning a language by Grammar-Translation method trained mind in
logical thought, there is little evidence to suggest that this faculty is transferable to
other walks of life beyond the language classroom.When is written translation of
actual use to the learner? Only perhaps after school in industry, commerce, foreign
correspondence, advertising, export orders - European marketBut how many pupils of
modern languages will actually end up here?

2 This method gives pupils the wrong idea of what language is and of the
relationship between languages. Language is seen as a collection or words which are
isolated and independent and there must be a corresponding word in the native tongue
for each foreign word he learns (CF present day candidates rendering of 'Quelle est !a
matiere?''Je suis seize')

3 Deplorable to assume that language is only acquired through translation skills,
and this at the expense of oral skills (imagine disaster in, comprehensive schools with
mixed ability classes)
4 Low translation standard - caused by grammaticaltechniques which force learner
to deduce FL sentences 'by selecting from a multiplicity of rules and exceptions and
individualised words. Inevitable that language learning process should fall down.
In 5 year 'O' level courses, candidate faced over 1000 rules, together with exceptions,
in preparation for examination based on translation.
After 5 years learning a language, the average '0' level candidate could make up to
160 errors in translation paper and fail this part of the exam.
5 In GB translation used to constitute the greater part of 'O' and 'A' level exam (
oral getting 20% and 12% respectively ). Was this really useful / - only served small
minority of learners.
6 IQ of average grammar school child not high enough to cope with this method
(imagine response of mixed-ability group in comprehensive school!)
7 Prof Carl Dodson: "Any system which allows only the few to acquire true
knowledge, very often in spite of the system, can no longer claim self-perpetuating
power"
Language teachers -a dying breed? - lack of language teachers / lack of students
beyond Yr 9!
8 Worst effect of this method is on pupil's motivation. Because (s)he cannot
succeed - leads to frustration, boredom and indiscipline.
Even among more able pupils who may be able to achieve a higher level of success,
there is feeling that this is all there is to language learning. Not a rewarding or
satisfying activity.. Language learning should be fun and bring some joy and pride in
achievement with it.

Below is an example of the rigours of learning via the pure Grammar Method as
illustrated by Professor Carl J Dodson.
Working through the mechanics of this imaginary language and undertaking the
translation exercises shows how much this approach relies on cognitive ability.
C.J.Dodson.'Language Learning and the Bilingual Method'


GRAMMAR

DEFINITIVE ARTICLE VERB ENDINGS

Masc Fem Neut PL

1 -en
Nominative Me Men Mas Len Sing 2 -a
Idiotive Det Def Dof Ten

3 -o
Imaginative Jeb Kin Los Fen

Illogitive Tal Sib Pen Ken 1 -ens

Plural 2 -ato

3 -unt

VOCCABULARY

sabla (m) chair abro under

list

put
maldi (f) table lef on

cord

throw
labro (f) book parti against

nu

to be
gardi (m) Boy

randos (n) floor

borden (n) ceiling

Notes
If an object. is under 2 ft high from ground level, the Idiotive case is used.
If an object is 2 t over from ground level, the Imaginative case is used
A chair is always considered to be less than 2 ft high, no matter what its actual
height may be.
Direct = object Illogitive

Example: The chair is under the table / Det sabla nmabro kin maldi
Translate the sentences:-
1) The book is under the chair.
2) The boy puts the book on the table.
3) The boy puts the book on the floor.
4) The boy throws the book against the ceiling.
5) The boy throws the books against the ceiling