The Grammar Translation Method

1. Rizal Setiawan
1701121219
Students of English Education in IAIN PalangkaRaya
Email : rizalsetiawann6@gmail.com/
THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD
INTRODUCTION
The Grammar-Translation Method is not new. It has had different names, but
it has been used by language teachers for many years. At one time it was called the
Classical Method since it was first used in the teaching of the classical languages,
Latin and Greek (Chastain 1988). Earlier in this century, this method was used for the
purpose of helping students read and appreciate foreign language literature. It was
also hoped that, through the study of the grammar of the target language, students
wouldhec.ome more familiar with the grammar of their native language and that this
familiarity would help them speak and write their native language better. Finally, it
was thought that foreign language learning would help students grow intellectually it
was recognized that students would probably never beneficial anyway.
Let us try to understand Grammar-Translation Method by observing a class
where the teacher is using it. The class is a high-intermediate level English class at a
university in Colombia. There are forty-two students in the class. Two-hour classes
are conducted three times a week.

2. DISCUSSION
The Grammar-Translation Method.
The grammar–translation method is a method of teaching foreign languages
derived from the classical. The teacher conducts question and answer to his students.
Give questions for their understanding to their experience. In answering any
questions, the teacher must know the shortcomings of his students. If students have
been right in answering the question then the next question is continued but if
students cannot answer then the teacher gives an understanding of the answer. The
method has two main goals: to enable students to read and translate literature written
in the source language, and to further students' general intellectual development.
a. Observation Principle
1. The class is reading an excerpt by Mark Twain’s. The basic purpose of language
learning is the ability to read literature written in it. Literary language is
superior to spoken language.
2. Students translate the languages.
3. The teacher asks students in their native language if they have any questions. A
student asks one and is answered in her native language.
4. Students answer questions.
5. The teacher determines whether an answer is correct or not.
6. Students translate new words from one language to another.
7. Students learn that English ‘-ty’ corresponds to another languages.
8. The sudents learn about grammar.
9. Students apply it.
10. Students learn and memorize vocabularies.
11. The teacher asks students to state the grammar rule.
12. The students learn and memorize of tenses.

3. According to Celce Murcia (1979:3) there are some characteristics of this method
that the writer will mention as follows :
1. Classess are taught in the first language, with little active use of the target
language;
2. Much of the vocabulary is in the form of lists of isolated words;
3. Detail explanation about the structure of grammar is given;
4. Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often
focuses on the form and the inflection for words;
5. Reading of difficult classical texts in the beginning of the class;
6. Little attention is paid to the content of texts, which are treated as exercises in
grammatical analysis;
7. In teaching grammar, it is important to make the language situations and
language material as realistic as possible.
The principles of the Grammar-Translation Method are organized below by
answering the some questions like the following example:
1. What are the goals of teachers who use the Grammar-Translation Method?
According to the teachers who uses the Grammar-Translation Method, a
fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read written in
the target language literature. To do this, students need to learn about the grammar
rules and vocabulary of the target language.
2. What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
The roles are very traditional. The teacher is the authority in the classroom.
The students do as she says so they can learn what she knows.
3.What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?
Students are taught to translate from one language to another.
4. What is the nature of student-teacher interaction?

4. What Is the nature of student-student Interaction? Most of the interaction in
the classroom is from the teacher to the students. There is little student initiation
and little student-student interaction.
5. How are the feelings of the students dealt with?
There are no principles of the method which relate to this area.
6 How is the language viewed? How is culture viewed?
Literary language is considered superior to spoken language and· is
therefore the language that students study. Culture is viewed as coo~, sisting of
literature and the fine arts.
7. What areas of language are emphasized?
What language skills are emphasized? Vocabulary and grammar are emphasized.
Reading and writing are the primary skills that the students work on.
As for reviewing of techniques in grammar translation methods in such as
Translation of a Literary Passage, Reading Comprehension Questions, Deductive
application of rule , FiU-in-the-blanks ,Cognates, memorizing new vocabulary and
looking for antonyms / synonyms to how to use the word in sentences and
Composition (giving topics to students and told them to make sentences from the
topic.
The use of translation in foreign language learning has been considered
detrimental as it does not allow the achievement of fluency and foster communicative
language use (Newson, 1998); therefore, it has been mostly avoided. It has been
thought that students will learn better if they are given maximum exposure to the
target language. The Grammar-Translation method has been criticized for not giving
the enough opportunity to students to get involved in the target language.Translation
is a useful tool especially in an EFL environment (Ellis, 1992; Ur, 1996). As Stern
(1992) stresses translation holds an important place in language learning. In order to
let students realize difficulties in language learning, translation is a useful resource in
that students can see the similarities and differences between L1 and L2, and they can

5. understand the language system better. Through comparing the target language and
their native language they may use the target language effectively.
Alan Duff (1996) has stated that translation is a natural and necessary activity.
He points out that the use of translation shapes our way of thinking and to some
extent our use of the foreign language. He says that “translation helps us to
understand better the influence of the one language on the other, and to correct errors
of habit that creep in unnoticed”. Even in this case danchev (1983, p.35) also has lists
the benefits of translation as:
1) Natural and easy comparison between the target and the native language, thus
facilitating faster decoding of difficult target language structures and elements;
2) Quick and effective comprehension control;
3) To overcome and neutralize native language transfer. In order to perform an
activity understanding of the instructions is significant, and translation is a useful
tool to verify the comprehension of these instructions.
CLOSING
A. Conclusion
Grammar translation was used traditionally to teach language through
translation. Then the era of communicative competence, which led to develop
communicative approach. Social interaction became necessary for learning target
language. A teacher develops his/her own teaching procedures and may
constantly revise, and modify teaching learning process on the basis of
performance of learners and reactions to instructional practices. Moreover, the
success of a method may depend on the degree to which the teacher can provide
access to learning processes and content or create conditions for successful
language learning. In the words of Mitchell and Myles (2004, p. 261) remark:
“there can be ‘no one best method’…which applies at all times and in all

6. situations, with every type of learner”. It depicts that no single approach is best
for variety of learners and teacher can adopt integrated approaches to meet the
students’ need. The classroom activities and tasks change the situation for
language acquisition by creating interest and innovation. There is a ray of hope to
succeed, that the combination of GT and CA may prove effective for L2 learning.
REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar%E2%80%93translation_method.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306379008_The_Implementation_of_Gram
mar_Translation_Method_GTM_and_Communicative_Language_Teaching
_CLT_in_Teaching_Integrated_English/
Journal of Advances in English Language Teaching 2013; www.european-
science.com/jaelt 103 vol.1, No.4, pp.103-105
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and principles o/language teaching (2nd ed.).
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
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