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 LES CAHIERS DE L’ACAREF
Vol. 5 No 13/Septembre 2023

ISSN 2790- 0371 (Print)

ISSN 2790- 038X (Online)

Tome 4 :
Education- Didactique- Pédagogie- Enseignement
 LES CAHIERS DE L’ACAREF
Vol. 5 No 13/Septembre 2023
TOME 4

Lien d’indexation
https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?pid=10.5281
%2Fzenodo.8386624

https://zenodo.org/record/8386624

Indexed in

Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe

DOI 10.5281/zenodo. 8386624

Sous la direction de
Koffi Ganyo AGBEFLE
i
 LES CAHIERS DE L’ACAREF

Revue dirigée par L’Académie Africaine de Recherches et d’Etudes

Francophones

Le contenu de ces articles ou opinions d'expert n'engagent que

leurs auteurs

ii
Conseil restreint de direction scientifique du Numéro

Christian Tremblay, OEP, Paris France

Marc Richeveaux, CEDIMES, France
Akimou Tchagnaou, Université de Zinder, Niger
Marcel Vahou, Université de Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire
Yelian Constant AGUESSY, Université Parakou, Bénin
Norbert AGOINON, Université Parakou, Bénin

Sous la direction de
Koffi Ganyo AGBEFLE

Equipe technique

Marquette et illustration : Koffi AMEWOU

Mise en page : A. D. KPATI

iii
Comité scientifique international de l’ACAREF

- AFELI Kossi Antoine, Université de Lomé, Togo

- AKASI Clément, University of Howard, USA
- BLANCHET Philippe, Université de Rennes 2, France
- DAO Yao, Université de Lyon 2, France
- DEVRIESERE Viviane, Isfec Aquitaine, Bordeaux France
- DOSSOU Paulin Jésutin, Université Parakou, Bénin
- ELHADJI YAWALE MAMAN, Université de Zinder, Niger
- FAULKNER Morgan, St Francis Xavier University Antigonish,
Canada
- KOUDJO Bienvenu, Université d’Abomey Calavi, BENIN
- LAMIAE Slaoui, Centre Régional des Métiers de l’Education et
de la Formation, Fès, Maroc
- LEMAIRE Eva, Université d’Alberta, Canada
- LEZOU KOFFI Aimée-Danielle, UFHB, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- RICHEVEAUX Marc, Institut CEDIMES, France
- SORBA Nicolas, Université de Corse, France
- SOW N’diémé, Université e Ziguinchor, Sénégal
- TCHAGNAOU Akimou, Université de Zinder, Niger
- TCHEHOUALI Destiny, Montréal, Canada
- TREMBLAY Christian, OEP, Paris France
- TUBLU Yves, CELHTO UA Niamey, Niger
- VAHOU, K. Marcel, Université FHB, Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire
- YEBOUA Kouadio D., ENS UFH Côte d’Ivoire
- YENNAH Robert, Legon University, Ghana

iv
 SOMMAIRE

1. DISPOSITIFS DE PREVENTION DE LA VIOLENCE DANS

LES UNIVERSITES IVOIRIENNE _ Alathé Mireille BODO __ Côte
d’Ivoire …………….……………………………………..………………….11
2. ADAPTATION DE LA DIDACTIQUE CONVERGENTE A
L’ARTICULATION TOUAREG / FRANÇAIS : APPRENTISSAGE
DES LETTRES VOCALIIQUES _ Alou AG AGOUZOUM __ Mali
……………………………………………………………………………..29
3. ACQUISITION DES SAVOIRS MATHÉMATIQUES CHEZ
L’APPRENANT : UNE ÉVALUATION DE CERTAINS ÉLÉMENTS
DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT CULTUREL _ Emmanuel EMANE &
Bernadette Mireille EMBOLO OVONO __ Cameroun …………………..….44
4. ENVIRONNEMENT FAMILIAL ET CHOIX D’UNE FILIERE
DE FORMATION INDUSTRIELLE CHEZ L’APPRENANT AU
LYCEE TECHNIQUE D’ABIDJAN _ Gbomené Hervé ZOKOU et Al __
Côte d’Ivoire ……………………………………………….…………….…..59
5. PLAN DE REMÉDIATION DES DIFFICULTÉS DE
PRODUCTION ÉCRITE DES APPRENANTS _ Boureima KINDO __
Burkina Faso ……………………………………………………….………..73
6. MODERNITE ET CRISE DES HUMANITES AFRICAINES
TRADITIONNELLES, LE ROLE DES SYSTEMES EDUCATIFS _
Etienne KOLA __ Burkina Faso …………………………………..………..87
7. CONTRIBUTION DES ACTEURS EDUCATIFS A LA CONSTR
UCTION D’UN CLIMAT SCOLAIRE APAISE AU BURKINA FASO :
CAS DE LA COMMUNE DE TANGHIN-DASSOURI _ Nébilma Anatole
BADOLO __ Burkina Faso …………………………………..…………….104
8. EVALUATION DE L’EFFICACITE EXTERNE DE LA
FORMATION UNIVERSITAIRE PAR LES DIPLOMES AYANT
UNE EXPERIENCE PROFESSIONNELLE _ Oumou DIALLO &
Félicité ROAMBA __ Burkina Faso ………………………………………...122
9. ROLE OF PEDAGOGICAL TRANSLATION IN LEARNING
ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN BENIN _ Rissikatou
MOUSTAPHA épouse BABALOLA & Bienvenu KOMAKLO __ Bénin
…………………………………………………………………………….138

v
10. REGULATION DES ENSEIGNEMENTS/APPRENTISSAGES
PAR LES ENSEIGNANTS DU COURS PREPARATOIRE
DEUXIEME ANNEE AU NIGER _ Tanimoune HASSANE __ Niger
…………………………………………………………………………….155
11. LA PROBLÉMATIQUE DE L’ÉDUCATION INCLUSIVE AU
CAMEROUN : AUTOPSIE DE LA PRISE EN CHARGE DES
APPRENANTS À BESOINS ÉDUCATIFS PARTICULIERS DANS LA
VILLE DE YAOUNDÉ _ André TONYE NKOT & Anastasie Béatrice
MVOGO MENGUE __ Cameroun ………………………..……...…….…169
12. VALORISATION DE LA CONNAISSANCE ET LES
TECHNOLOGIES MEDIATIQUES MIX EN ENSEIGNEMENT A
DISTANCE EN COTE D’IVOIRE : POUR L’EXTRACTION DES
LIENS _ Yéo SIBIRI __ Côte d’Ivoire ………………….…………………..186
13. LE DEVELOPPEMENT DE CURRICULUM A L’ERE DU
NUMERIQUE : AVIS DES ETUDIANTS _ Flore MANTSOUNGA &
Cyrille Daniel MOUKOKO KIBAMBA __ Congo ……………….………..202
14. AGE, PERCEPTION DES DISCIPLINES ENSEIGNEES ET C
HOIX DES METIERS PAR LES AUDITRICES DE
L’INSTITUTION DE FORMATION ET D’EDUCATION
FEMININE DE PORT-BOUET _ Zoumana MEITE __ Côte d’Ivoire
…………………………………………………………………….………216
15. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COHERENCE AND COHESION IN
ESSAYS WRITTEN BY BENINESE SECONDARY SCHOOL EFL
STUDENTS _ Katchédé Etienne IWIKOTAN & Lucile GOUMAKPO __
Bénin & France …………………………………………………………….231
16. PASSAGE AUTOMATIQUE (PA) : PERCEPTION DES ELEVES
BENEFICIAIRES _ Abdoul Aziz NABI __ Burkina Faso ……….…..….249
17. CONSTRUCTION DU SAVOIR D’INDUCTION ÉLECTROMA
GNÉTIQUE PAR LA DÉMARCHE D’INVESTIGATION EN
CLASSE DE PREMIÈRE SCIENTIFIQUE _ Winnie KENFACK
NGUETSOP et Al __ Cameroun …………………………………..………268
18. A PROPOS DE L’EDUCATION A L’ECOCITOYENNETE. QU
ELLE REALITE A L’ECOLE PRIMAIRE ? _ Abdoulaye
OUEDRAOGO __ Burkina Faso ………………………..…………..……282
19. TEMPS D’EXPOSITION TELEVISUELLE ET RENDEMENT
SCOLAIRE DES ENFANTS DE 7 A 12 ANS A NIAMEY _ Soumana
AMADOU __ Niger ………………………….……………………..…….294
vi
20. HOW TEACHERS IN BENIN PRIMARY SCHOOLS VIEW AND
TREAT ENGLISH SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES OF
PRONUNCIATION _ Jaurès HOUEDENOU & Olivier HOUNWANOU
__ Benin ……………………………………………………………………311
21. ANALYSE DE LA FREQUENTATION SCOLAIRE DES
ELEVES EN SITUATION DE HANDICAP DE L'ECOLE 23/B DE
L'INSPECTION DE L'EDUCATION ET DE LA FORMATION (IEF)
DE GUEDIAWAYE (SENEGAL)._ Salif BALDE et Al.__ Sénégal….…321
22. LES KITS SOLAIRES PHOTOVOLTAÏQUES : UN NOUVEAU
MODE D’ACCES A L’ELECTRICITE DANS LES PERIPHERIES
DE LOME _ Kodjo Gnimavor FAGBEDJI __ Togo …………………….336

vii
Les consignes aux contributeurs
Pour publier avec LES CAHIERS DE L’ACAREF, il faut se
conformer aux exigences rédactionnellessuivantes :
Titre- L’auteur formule un titre clair et concis (entre 12 et 15 mots). Le
titre centré, est écrit en gras, taille12.
Mention de l’auteur- Elle sera faite après le titre de l'article et 2 interlignes,
alignée à gauche. Elle comporte :
Prénom, NOM (en gras, sur la première ligne), Nom de l'institution (en
italique, sur la deuxième ligne), e- mail de l’auteur ou du premier auteur (sur
la troisième ligne). L’ensemble en taille 10.
Résumé - L'auteur propose un résumé en français et en anglais ou en la
langue officielle du pays de l’institution d’attache de l’auteur. Ce résumé
n'excède pas 250 mots. Il limite son propos à une brève description du
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présente à grands traitssa méthodologie. Il fait un sommaire des résultats
et énonce ses conclusions principales. Mots-clés - Ils accompagnent
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indiqués en français et en anglais.
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Conseils techniques
Mise en page - Marges : haut 2 cm, bas 2 cm, gauche 2 cm, droite 2 cm.
Style et volume – Garamond, taille 12 pour le titre de l'article et
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viii
Titres et articulations du texte - Le titre de l'article est en gras, aligné
au centre. Les autres titres sontjustifiés ; leur numérotation doit être claire
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etc.). Il ne faut pas utiliser des majuscules pour les titres, sous-titres,
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Notes et citations - Les citations sont reprises entre guillemets, en
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NB : Eviter autant que possible les tableaux trop longs
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15). Dans le cas d'un nombre d'auteurs supérieur à 2, la mention et al. en
italique est notée après le nom du premier auteur. En cas de deux
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différenciation se fera par une lettre qui figure aussi dans la bibliographie
(a, b, c, ...).
A la fin du texte : Pour les périodiques, le nom de l'auteur et son prénom
sont suivis de l'année de la publication entre parenthèses, du titre de
l'article entre guillemets, du nom du périodique en italique, dunuméro du
volume, du numéro du périodique dans le volume et des pages. Lorsque
le périodique est enanglais, les mêmes normes sont à utiliser avec toutefois
les mots qui commencent par une majuscule.
Pour les ouvrages, on note le nom et le prénom de l'auteur suivis de l'année
de publication entre parenthèses,du titre de l'ouvrage en italique, du lieu de
publication et du nom de la société d'édition.
Pour les extraits d'ouvrages, le nom de l'auteur et le prénom sont à
indiquer avant l'année de publicationentre parenthèses, le titre du chapitre
entre guillemets, le titre du livre en italique, le lieu de publication, lenuméro
du volume, le prénom et le nom des responsables de l'édition, le nom de la
société d'édition, et lesnuméros des pages concernées.
ix
Pour les papiers non publiés, les thèses etc., on retrouve le nom de l'auteur
et le prénom, suivis de l'annéede soutenance ou de présentation, le titre et
les mots « rapport », « thèse » ou « papier de recherche », qui ne doivent pas
être mis en italique. On ajoute le nom de l'Université ou de l'Ecole, et le
lieu de soutenance ou de présentation.
Pour les actes de colloques, les références sont traitées comme les
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Si les actes de colloques sont sur CD ROM, indiquer : les actes sur CD ROM
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Pour les papiers disponibles sur l'Internet, le nom de l'auteur, le prénom,
l'année de la publication entre parenthèses, le titre du papier entre
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dernier accès.

x
 ROLE OF PEDAGOGICAL TRANSLATION IN
LEARNING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN
BENIN

Rissikatou MOUSTAPHA épouse BABALOLA

Université d’Abomey-Calavi
rissikatouba@gmail.com
Bienvenu KOMAKLO
Université d’Abomey-Calavi
komakbienbeni@gmail.com

Résumé
Du fait de la globalisation et du multilinguisme, la traduction joue un rôle de plus en plus important.
Elle peut aussi contribuer à améliorer l'enseignement et l'apprentissage des langues étrangères. Dans les
universités béninoises, les étudiants des départements d'anglais, d'allemand et d'espagnol sont formés
aux exercices de traduction communément appelés thème et version. Cette étude montre comment ces
exercices influencent l'acquisition de l'anglais par les étudiants. Cent cinquante étudiants de Licence 2
et Licence 3 constituent la population cible de cette étude. Pour montrer comment l’usage de la
traduction en situation de classe peut aider à renforcer et à améliorer les compétences de lecture,
d'écriture, d'expression orale et d'écoute, une méthode de recherche mixte rassemblant la théorie sur
l'utilisation de la traduction dans l'enseignement d'une nouvelle langue et l'impact réel sur les étudiants
a été utilisée. La recherche révèle que même si les différents exercices de traduction aident les étudiants à
améliorer les différentes compétences, les méthodes utilisées par les enseignants doivent être revues.
Mots-clés : traduction pédagogique, thème, version.

Abstract
In an increasingly globalized and multilingual world, translation plays an important role. It can help
improve foreign language teaching and learning. In Beninese universities, the students of the departments
of English, Germany and Spanish are trained in translation exercises commonly known as theme and
version. This study shows how these exercises influence the acquisition of a foreign language, namely
English by the students. 150 students of L2 and L3 are the target population of this study. In an
attempt to show how the use of translation in foreign language classes can help enhance and further
improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, a mixed research method putting together the
theory about the use of translation in teaching a new language and the impact it really has on students
have been used. The research reveals that even if the different translation exercises help students improve
the different skills, the methods used by the lecturers need to be revisited.
Keywords: pedagogical translation, theme, version.

138
Introduction

In the past, innovative research methodologies have been used in order

to shed light on the translation process in EFL classrooms. To achieve
a satisfactory result in any learning field today, the use and the mastery
of foreign languages especially English, have become a must. Hence,
despite the efforts that have been made for the promotion of English
language learning in Benin, the results remain unsatisfactory, especially
when we look at students’ oral performance level. Yet, it is generally
acknowledged that the aim of learning any language is communication.
Thus, apart from being an act of communication, translation is a
complex activity which involves linguistic, cultural, communicative and
cognitive factors. It can be used in various ways to simplify and hasten
language learning. Therefore, although teachers are unanimous over the
issue of using or not using translation in the EFL classroom, it remains
a helpful tool if used appropriately and purposefully. So, this paper
sheds light on what pedagogical translation is, and its importance in
EFL teaching/learning. Thereafter, some solutions have been suggested
to school stakeholders, especially learners.

1. Problem statement and purpose of the study

EFL learning in Beninese schools especially at university is far from

meeting the expectation. After learning English for many years at
secondary school (seven at least), students are unable to use it not only
to communicate in real-life situations; but also to translate sentences
(also known as Theme and Version) as required from a source language
into the target one or conversely. Thus, despite the efforts, methods
and strategies that are applied by lecturers in translating sentences, the
results are still not encouraging. Therefore, this paper seeks for
alternatives to reverse this matter of facts by exploring the role of
translation in EFL classes.
In fact, translation has long been regarded as one of the methods on
EFL and ESL teaching for many years (Cook, 2010: 125). At times, the
failure of the Grammar-Translation method used in the 18th century
and the ardent Reform Movement in the 19th century have influenced
scholars and teachers to shun the method from their pedagogical
sphere (Vermes et al., 2010). Still, the world is witnessing a
139
technological revolution which has changed and will continue to
change everything around us. According to (Garcia, 2005: 8), the
position of translation training/learning in the global society is affected
by the new technology roles, given that these roles can be seen as
challenges and necessary objectives of second/foreign language
pedagogy.
Certain teaching methods such as the direct method ban the use of
translation or students’ native language in foreign language teaching and
learning. That is why paper attempts to explore the views of a sample
of EFL students in the departments of English, Germany and Spanish
at University of Abomey-Calavi on how often they use translation and
the situations where it may be used in language learning.

2. Pedagogical translation

Translation is an important tool in teaching/learning a foreign language

that been associated with the grammar translation method and
considered as a mechanic approach to foreign language learning. Many
scholars consider translation as irrelevant in the context of foreign
language learning. More than a decade after Lavault’s publication,
(Hurtado Albir, 1999: 11) introduced “pedagogical translation” as an
applied branch within a conceptual map of translation studies as a
discipline. Though her focus was on the pedagogy of professional
translation, the publication also became an important landmark in
second language acquisition in as much as she reformulated Holmes’s
1972 well-known proposal for classifying the different areas that
integrate translation studies. She further created a space within the new
philosophies for translation pedagogies that was specifically devoted to
translation in the language classroom in a way that recognized the
demands of communicative language teaching, referring to it as
“pedagogical translation.”
Pedagogical factors refer to what the teacher is and/or does toward
his/her learners as (Fawzia; 2002) cited in (Tuan  Nhu, 2010: 38)
declares: “The lecturer, the course and the topic are all related to
pedagogical factors.” According to (Munday, 2012: 08), the term
translation, first used in 1340 by Richard Role in the preface of his
Psalter (Oxford English Dictionary, online), is a derivation product from
either the Old French (translation) or from the Latin (translation –
140
‘transporting’). Nowadays, this term has different meanings. He further
stated that translation is a process between two languages, which
implies the modification of the original text or source text (ST) in the
original language or source language (SL) into a new text or the target
text (TT) in a new language the target language (TL). Hence, as stated
by (Snell-Hornby, 1988: 81):
“Translation is a complex act of communication in which
the SL-author, the reader as translator and translator as
TL-author and the TL-reader interact. The translator
starts from a present frame (the text and its linguistic
components); this was produced by an author who drew
from his own repertoire of partly prototypical scenes.
Based on the frame of the text, the translator-reader
builds up his own scenes depending on his own level of
experience and his internalized knowledge of the material
concerned.” (Snell-Hornby, 1988: 81)
According to (Leonardi, 2011: 17–28), translation as a pedagogical tool
can be successfully employed at any level of proficiency, at school or
university, as a valuable and creative teaching aid to support, integrate
and further strengthen the four traditional language skills: reading,
writing, speaking and listening. As for (Ridha, 2014) cited in (Wiratno,
2003:12), “translation is a process of transferring a message from
Source Language (SL) into Target Language (TL). SL is an original
language that is translated, while TL is a final language used to express
the result of translation”. On their part, (Bhooth et al., 2014) see
translation as an activity that has a function to facilitate the
communication process by interpreting the information received in one
language (L1) into another language (Foreign Language).
In contrast to Munday, translation does not only involve two different
languages. According to (Jakobson, 2004: 232-239), translation is
divided into three different categories: (i) intralingual translation, (ii)
interlingual translation, and (iii) intersemiotic translation. For its part,
pedagogical translation belongs to the second category (interlingual
translation) because this category of translation is somehow a reported
speech where the translator recodes and transmits a message received
from another source.
Based on both (Lavault’s, 1985) and (Hurtado Albir’s, 1987: 77)
conceptualizations, (de Arriba García, 1996) proposes accepting
141
translation in the language classroom under the label of ‘pedagogical
translation’. According to her, this label allows the inclusion of
translation foreign language teaching as a skill, one that entails the
rehabilitation of the first language (L1) in the foreign language
classroom. She further distinguishes three different phenomena under
‘pedagogical translation’. First, translation in the FL classroom may
refer to translating texts where students work on reading and writing
skills as well as comparing grammar structures and other aspects
between the two different languages. Then, she refers to ‘interior
translation’ through which the student translates an utterance produced
in the foreign language into his/her L1 in order to access its meaning.
This phenomenon is mostly prominent in the early stages of learning a
foreign language. Finally, she talks about ‘explicative’ or ‘explanatory
translation’ typically used as a resource by the teacher as a way of
explaining certain words and/or grammar content, to identify and avoid
false friends, to enable students to understand certain utterances
straightaway, or to check whether they have understood specific
explanations. In all three instances, there is clearly space for the L1 in
its various forms in the FL classroom which is symbiotic to restoring
pedagogical translation in the FL classroom; (De Arriba García, 1996:
277–278).
According to (Popovic, 2001: 3-8), translation has been a frequent
object of ridicule by those eager to demonstrate their allegiance to
modern ways and times. For (Ellis, 1992 and Ur, 1996), translation is a
legitimate instrument for language pedagogy. Since translation studies
rely on a concept of meaning, different approaches in these studies
refer to different types of meaning: while some researchers study lexical
patterns in source texts and their translations (Malahat, 2010), other
scholars put emphasis on how the text utterances function within their
immediate contexts (Nord, 1997). Others, however, examine the effect
of the text as a whole on its audience or society (Venuti, 1998), while
other researchers consider philosophy of language as a means to look at
meaning in translation (Malmkjær, 1993: 63-64).
Despite the advantages of translation as a means of communication
using the foreign language (Cook, 2010), it is, however, considered as a
poor learning strategy when it comes to the communicative language
teaching (CLT) approach, where the best way for learners to gain
aptitude in the target language is to think, particularly, in that language,
142
an act that can increase proficiency in the target language (Husain,
1995). Many studies, however, showed that the extent to which the
students are fluent in the target language (L2) and are able to prevent
possible interference from the native language (L1) is largely influenced
by the strategy use of translation to learn the target foreign language
(Chamot, 1987; Omura, 1996). How can translation be useful in EFL
classes?

3. Role of translation in EFL classes

In classroom context, translation means to develop the English

language skills of the learners. These learners are taught translation for
developing English language skills. As a method of language teaching
and learning, translation is still an issue under research and one debated
topic between linguists. The teaching of Foreign Language has been
marked by what many authors call “baby and bathwater syndrome”
(Sanchez Iglesias: 2009: 3), which has particularly affected pedagogical
translation. The objections to the use of translation in foreign language
teaching are all based on “a limited view of translation” (Vermeer:
2010: 91) caused by the badly use of the Grammar-Translation method
in the past. According to (Leonardi, 2010: 21), translation allows people
to be in contact with the rest of the world and it is commonly said that
without translation, there is a high likelihood that communities would
be “condemned to cultural isolation”.
(Ross; 2000) cited in (Dagiliene, 2012: 21), claims that translation is
recognized as a “fifth skill” alongside and complementary with reading,
writing, listening and speaking. It is an important (if not the most
important according to Ross) social skill because it promotes
communication and comprehension. Translation is related to a real life
communicative purpose. As (Duff, 1989: 06) points out, “translation
happens everywhere, all the time, so why not in the classroom?”
According to (Santoro, 2011: 152),
“A distorted view of communicative approach spread the
idea that aspects of real life are just those relating to
current and utilitarian communication situations and, even
today, in the light of what has been propagated, this
conviction dominates. However, our real life does not
consist only in such situations and are not rare occasions
in which our language needs go far beyond the formulas
143
 or fixed structures through which we can, for example,
ask for something or speak of what we do for the day”.
(Santoro, 2011: 152)
Nowadays, the importance of translation in foreign language classes is
known worldwide. For instance, the acquisition of a second/foreign
language at school level is also done by the act of translation purposely
designed and under the monitoring of a translator teacher. In this
regard, many studies suggested a positive and facilitative role of
translation (Omura, 1996: 67-81). For example, (Shiyab and
Abdullateef, 2001) consider translation extremely important for L2
teaching simply as it allows conscious learning and control of the target
language in an explicit manner, and therefore, it would reduce language
interference. Thus, using translation can make learning meaningful, as
the learner is an active participant in the process. Likewise, there are
others studies which also point out that greater awareness of the own-
language helps in the more effective communicative and productive use
of any L2.
(Owen, 2003: 1) thinks that translation should be taken as a path of
fine-tuning the target language to be used in various situations, as in the
translation process both L1 and L2 must be accessed. In other words,
translation is a suitable manner to include explicit language teaching in
the L2 class. (Liao, 2006: 191-215) puts some positive aspects of the use
of translation in L2 teaching as follow:
- it might help students to comprehend the L2;
- it might help students to evaluate whether their comprehension is
correct;
- it eases memory barriers in learning new items, idioms, syntactic
structure and grammar in general;
- it may help students to develop and express ideas in the L2; it can
reduce learning anxiety and improve motivation to learn L2.
In addition, (Schaffner, 1998: 117-133) also points out that the
translation and related exercises could be beneficial to L2 learning as it
tends to: improve verbal agility; expand students’ vocabulary in L2;
develop their style, improve their understanding of how languages
work; to consolidate L2 structures for active use; monitor and to
improve the comprehension of L2.
144
According to (Tang, 2002: 36-43), the use of the own-language by both
teacher and learners can be beneficial in the process and, sometimes,
may even be needed for an increased understanding and acceptance of
the L2 by the learners. Still, the author states that the use of the
learners’ own-language is for clarifying purposes and must not be the
primary means of communication in the L2 educational settings.
The importance of translation is noticed in many domains of human
activities such as: languages development and national literatures,
dissemination of knowledge, scientific breakthroughs, development and
spreading of religions (Delisle and Woodsworth, 1995). For (Shiyab and
Abdullateef, 2001: 7), “translation can be like medicine, which when
administered in the right dose and way, has a curative effect, and
otherwise, when used injudiciously, it can also prove harmful”. In other
words, translation should not be overused and should be integrated
into language teaching at the right time, and with the right students.
From the beginning of the 20th century, learning a foreign language
consisted in doing so through the Grammar-Translation method that
focused on learning the grammatical rules of the target language and
carrying out a literal translation.
For (Kartinisari, 2018) cited in (Zhao, 2015: 38-51), translating the
meaning of the target language into the native language is good ways to
help the learners better understand the target language and help the
learners grasp the knowledge of the target language easily. Similarly,
(Kartinisari et al., 2018) found that translation give many benefits to the
EFL learners. It can then said that translation is a vital tool which helps
students acquire and develop their mental. The next parts deal with the
process of data collection and analysis employed in this study.

4. Research methodology

The present study, unlike most studies on English language learning, is

both qualitative and quantitative. Thus, it is generally known that EFL
teaching/learning in Beninese schools, especially at universities, raises
enormous problems leading to unsatisfactory results. Indeed, the choice
and the decision to work on this topic stemmed from a mere
observation deriving from the researchers’ teaching experience and the
learners’ performance appreciation and analysis. Still, after many years
of learning and translating sentences from a source language into the
target one, it is noticeable that there are some factors that prevent
145
Beninese universities students learning foreign languages from
succeeding in translating and in expressing themselves. Surprisingly,
their good performance of the first year of learning starts decreasing
every passing school year despite the fact that students are teenagers,
which means that they are susceptible to learn more easily a language
than adults.
To collect the data, a questionnaire has been given to 150 students of
L2 and L3 randomly selected from the departments of English,
Germany and Spanish of Abomey-Calavi University. It was ensured
that respondents studied English. It took them 10 to 20 minutes to
complete the questionnaire. The return rate was 93.33% (i.e. 140
completed questionnaire were returned).
The questionnaire consisted of open-ended questions based on scales
including statements, and the students were to choose the number that
best corresponded to their feelings.

5. Findings and discussion of the results

This part displays the different data or results collected from the
questionnaire sheets and research conducted for the attainment of the
objectives of this paper.

5.1. Findings of the study

The research involves 150 students. As a result, 140 questionnaire
sheets have been returned at a rate of 93.33%.

146
students’ views about translation
table 1: students’ views about translation
Responses Frequency Percentage
(%)
- Explain sentences from one language into 25 17.85
another. 62 44.28
- A way to learn and better understand other 12 8.57
language. 24 17.14
- Turning sentences from a language into 10 7.14
another. 12 8.57
- A way to learn another language. 5 3.57
- Explaining words from a language into
another.
- A way of rendering words from a source
language into a target one.
- A way of grasping unknown words.
Source: survey data, April 2023

The results from table 1 show how respondent students define

translation. 44.28% of them see translation as a way to learn and better
understand another language, followed by 17.85% who think that
translation consist in explaining sentences from one language onto
another. According to 17.14% of them, translation is a way to learn
another language. It can then be concluded that the majority of the
respondents see translation as a tool to learn other language.
 students’ perception about translation activities
table 2: students’ perception about translation activities
Responses Frequency Percentage (%)
YES 135 96.42
NO 5 3.57
Source: survey data, April 2023

Table 2 shows that almost all the respondent students (96.42%) enjoy
translation activities. This shows how students are involved in
translation activities. It can then be concluded that Students’ opinions
and attitudes are key elements in second language acquisition.

147
  usefulness of translation
table 3: usefulness of translation
Responses Frequency Percentage (%)
- useful 132 94.28
- Questionable 00 00
- Not useful 00 00
- Have no opinion 08 5.71

Source: survey data, April 2023

Table 3 shows that the majority of the respondents (94.28%) see

translation as useful activity. This shows that learners are really aware of
the role of translation in language learning.
 students’ opinions about translation courses
table 4: students’ opinions about translation courses

Responses Frequency Percentage (%)

Yes 44 31.42
No 96 68.57
Source: survey data, April 2023

Table 4 shows that translation courses cannot help students to become

professional translators as stated by 68.57% of them.
 students’ opinions about teachers
table 5: students’ opinions about teachers

Responses Frequency Percentage (%)

Yes 102 72.85
No 38 27.14

Source: survey data, April 2023

Through this table, it can be concluded that teachers guide learners into
the translation exercises. This is shown with 72.85% of the respondent
learners.

148
  ways teachers help students in translation exercises

table 6: ways teachers help students in translation exercises

Responses Frequency Percentage (%)
- Giving instructions 112 80
- Clarifying new words and 06 4.28
phrases 12 8.57
- Explaining classroom 02 1.42
activities 08 5.71
- Explaining reading passages
- Explaining grammatical
issues

Source: survey data, April 2023

Table 6 shows that teachers (80%) often give instructions to their

students as far as translation is concerned. This strategy is followed by
classroom activities at a rate of 8.57%. This shows that explanation and
instructions are given by teachers.
 the use of translation in language teaching and learning
table 7: the use of translation in language teaching and learning
Responses Frequency Percentage (%)
Yes 136 97.14
No 04 2.85
Source: survey data, April 2023

It results from table 7 that the majority of students (97.14%) sees

translation as a useful tool in language teaching and learning against
(2.85%) who do not share the same view.

149
  language skills
table 8: language skills
Responses Frequency Percentage (%)
- reading and vocabulary 134 95.71
- grammar 102 72.85
- speaking 139 99.28
- writing 88 62.85
- listening 140 100

Source: survey data, April 2023

Table 8 shows that all the language skills listening (100%), speaking
(99.28%), reading and vocabulary (95.71%), and writing (62.85%) are
important in translation.

5.2 Discussion of the findings

The results reveal that there are different views about the meaning of
translation and its role in English language learning. It results from the
study that almost all the respondent students (96.42%) enjoy translation
activities. According to 44.28% of them, translation is a way to not only
learn but also better understand a new language. In addition, 94.28% of
them see translation as useful device which shows that it plays a crucial
role and really helps students in foreign language learning. The results
also show that almost all the respondents see the different skills as
important in translation activities. In this sense, Liao (2006: 210) lists
down some benefits of translation for EFL learners. According to him,
translation enables EFL learners to understand the second language,
helps them to examine their understanding; facilitates their intellectual
limits in gaining more vocabulary, language rules; helps students
improve and express thoughts in another language; and finally lessens
their worry about the target language and motivates them to study the
second language. From this development, it can be concluded that
translation is necessary, real and communicative. Translation consists
then in finding equivalent significance of a text into another language.
Nevertheless, learning other languages may be possible without
translation. This may depends on the needs, learning environment and
conditions available.

150
Conclusion

This paper intended to sort out the role of pedagogical translation in

English language learning. To reach this objective, both qualitative and
quantitative data were used and analyzed. From the data collected, it
emerged that a large number of students were more interested in
translation activities. Through this study, it can be sum up that
translation is a communication medium through which one learns and
better understand other realities and cultures.
These findings could help both teachers and learners to realize that
translation is a complex activity that requires much effort. In short, it
can be concluded that translation is part of our daily experience which
plays a crucial role and can contribute to both language learning and
teaching. Further research is then needed to examine variables that
affect lifelong learners’ motivation in translation activities.

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