The grammar-translation method was widely used to teach Latin in the 1500s and was later adopted to teach modern languages in Europe in the 18th-19th centuries. It focuses on teaching grammar rules and having students translate texts between the native and target languages. Classes are conducted in the native language, and there is no speaking practice. While it helps with reading and writing skills, students gain little ability in speaking the language. For this reason, other methods have largely replaced grammar-translation, though some of its approaches remain in certain areas.

1. Teaching approaches: the grammar-translation method.
The grammar-translation method of teaching dates back to the 1500s when it was
widely used for teaching latin. Nowadays, the grammar-translation method of
teaching English is not widely adopted, although hybrid forms of the method can be
found in some places. According to Jack Richards and Theodore Rogers in their
2001 book, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, this method is still
used in some countries but has been rejected by a number of educational scholars.
During the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, it was believed that the body and
mind were separate and that teaching modern languages was not useful to the
development mental discipline and therefore was not taught in schools. When
modern languages did start to be taught in schools they used the same grammar-translation
method as what was used for teaching Latin.
This method was also widely used in the United States at this time too. The goals
of the grammar-translation method is two-fold. Firstly, it set out to give the student
a reading ability to a level where they can read literature in the target language and
secondly it was used to develop student’s general mental discipline.
Grammar-translation classes are commonly conducted in the native language of
the students. Students learn the vocabulary and grammar rules from the teacher or
a book and practice by doing drills and translation exercises both to and from the
target language. The content is not so important and most attention is paid to the
form of the sentences.
Translation is the key to this methodology as is reading and writing. There is not
normally any listening or speaking practice carried out moreover, there is virtually
no pronunciation practice for the students.
Pros and Cons
Well there are very few advantages of the grammar-translation method of teaching
English, if any at all. There are, on the other hand, many disadvantages. There is
absolutely no speaking involved in this method and therefore students might be
able to read and write in English, but would never have the skills required for
holding a conversation.
Moreover, this very rigid method also removes any creativity from the class,
rendering the class very dull and somewhat boring for most students. Finally,
because of this rigidity and lack of speaking practice, students may well
understand the written language well, but have absolutely no working knowledge of
English. For these reasons, this method has largely been replaced by other
methods, but it is still used in hybrid forms in some parts of the world.

2. The Grammar-Translation Method of Teaching English
The Grammar-Translation method has a number of disadvantages insomuch that it
lacks speaking practice (one of the 4 main skills alongside reading, writing and
listening), reduces creativity in the class and leaves students with very little working
knowledge of the spoken language.
Where this style of teaching might be appropriate, however, is where a student is
seeking to translate text from one language into English or vice versa. Moreover, it
would also be effective for students to learn grammar, which is essential for most
ESL students.
Materials
The mainstay of classroom materials for the grammar-translation method is the
textbook. Textbooks in the 19th century attempted to codify the grammar of the
target language into discrete rules for students to learn and memorize. A chapter in
a typical grammar-translation textbook would begin with a bilingual vocabulary list,
after which there would be grammar rules for students to study and sentences for
them to translate. Some typical sentences from 19th-century textbooks are as
follows:
The philosopher pulled the lower jaw of the hen.
My sons have bought the mirrors of the Duke.
The cat of my aunt is more treacherous than the dog of your uncle.