This document summarizes the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) of teaching foreign languages. GTM is the oldest method, introduced to India and Pakistan by the British. It involves translating English texts word-for-word into the students' native language. The teacher reads sentences aloud and translates individual words and phrases. Students practice translating and memorizing vocabulary. While GTM is easy and time-efficient, it focuses only on grammar rules and reading rather than speaking skills, and discourages creative expression in the target language. The document provides suggestions for supplementing GTM with more immersive language practice.

1. SUB: TEFL
TOPIC: GTM (GRAMMAR
TRANSLATION METHOD)
TO: SIR MUSTAFA
BY: MEHAK ALI
M.A 2nd

2. GTM (GRAMMAR TRANSLATION
METHOD)
• GTM is oldest of teaching a foreign language.
• This method for English come to Indo-Pak with the
arrival of British people.
• This method was already used for Arabic, Persian
and Sanskrit by Mulvies and Pundits living there.
• It has being used all over the country, in our country
it used in classroom at all levels, e.g. School,
college etc.

3. CON…..
• An English teacher must possess following
qualities for using GTM:
1. SOURCE OF LANGUAGE ; such as vocabulary,
recognition of words and their meaning and their
grammatical structure, etc.
2. KNOWLEDGE OF THE TL; e.g. proper choice of
word order, tone and meaning proper choice of
punctuation and adequate fluency.
3. SUBJECT MATTER; he should knows the skill of
consulting dictionaries, encyclopedia, text books
and other materials.
4. COMPETENCY; for example his good memory,
concentration and to think of equivalent proverbs,
words, phrases and terms.

4. PROCEDURE OF GTM
1. The method begins with the English reading.
2. The Teacher reads the paragraphs, sentences by
sentence and translate the words, phrases and
sentences into the learners mother tongue.
3. The Teacher may then ask a few students to
translate the English words, phrases and sentences
into mother tongue .
4. The meaning of a few important words in the
mother tongue are written on the black/white board.
The students copy these words to learn by heart.
5. The Teacher then assigns the home work. The
students are asked to learn the meaning and
translation.

5. CON………..
Finally a teacher may write a model grammatical
construction on blackboard; e.g.
• The teacher wants to tell the students how can they
make negative and interrogative of a simple
sentence.
• first he writes a simple sentence for example;
• You are busy.
• Are you busy?
• You are not busy.
• First the teacher underline the helping verb, then
the teacher says, when we move the helping verb at
the beginning of the sentence it becomes
interrogative and when we add not with the helping
verb it becomes negative.

6. CON…….
• BY this method learners are expected to grasp;
1. English words, phrases and sentences.
2. English Grammar.
3. English structure pattern.

7. ADVANTAGES OF THE METHOD
1. EASY METHOD; proceed from known to unknown
e.g. the learner learns the language through his
mother-tongue, the language he knows.
2. TIME SAVER; this method saves the time of teacher
and learner both.
3. TEACHERS WORK MADE EASY; e.g. his only work
is to give meanings and translation.
4. PRACTICAL; it is a practical method for teaching
over crowded classes in minimum time.
5. REQUIRED A FEW AIDS; it does not require many
aids.

8. CON….
• ENGLISH GRAMMAR MADE EASY; because of the
comparative study of mother tongue and TL, which
the child already knows. Thus it becomes easy to
understand the English grammar.
• MEMORISATION;
• EASY TO TEST LANGUAGE GRASP; abstract
words, phrases can be explained in mother tongue.

9. LIMITATIONS OF THE METHOD
1. IGNORES THE NATURAL WAY; i.e. listening,
speaking, reading and writing.
2. PASSIVE MASTERY; e.g. students can not read
extra material.
3. LOSS OF THE FREE EXPRESSION; the learner loss
expression in English, as they think first in their
mother tongue than translate their ideas into
English.
4. WORD FOR WORD TRANSLATION; the students
learn to keep the translation and kill the sense.
5. NO SCOPE FOR ORIGINALITY; there is no scope
for original writing in English. The learner becomes
dependent on their mother tongue.

10. CON…
• RULES OF GRAMMER; it binds the language within
the rules of grammar.
• SPEECH NEGLECTED; students fail to learn the art
of conversation.
• PASSIVE LEARNER;
• TEACHING WORK DULL; it gives no place to any
activity on the part of teacher or learner.
• ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS; it cannot be translated
into mother tongue, which creates confusion.

11. SUGGESTIONS
• Use translation as an aid to the teaching of English.
• Teach learner to translate by catching the sense.
They should avoid literal translation.
• Use translation to show the difference between the
mother tongue and English usage.
• Use translation to test the students grasp of
English.
• Don’t bind the language within rules. Find time to
give the learner opportunities in speaking and free
expression
•

12. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
ANY QUESTION