Ajdabiya University - Faculty of Arts

Department of English

The Mother tongue and Translation

in English Language Teaching

Submitted by the students:

Abdel-Muhsin Ramadan Mahmoud 09.1250
Attia Hussain Attia 12 463
Amal Said Faraj 09.4027
Khaled Idris Abdel-Kareem 09.3243
Mahmoud Saad Mahjoub 09.3555

Under the supervision of

Mr. Masoud M. Masoud

Academic year 2017-2018

 Table of Contents

Preliminaries Page
Acknowledgment I
Dedication II
Abstract III

Introduction ....……….…….…………………………………………........….. 1

Chapter one

The Teaching methods in English as a Foreign Language (EFL)…..……..............3

1.1 The Communicative method ………...………….……….……............…..4
1.2 The Direct method ....……………………………….…….….…................5
1.3 The Physical Response method...…..…………………….……......…..…..6
1.4 The Reading method…………………………………..….....…….............7
1.5 The Translation method ……………………….………...…..................…9
1.5.1 History of the Translation method….......................…….....................…10
1.5.2 The Importance of the Translation Method ............…….........................10
1.5.3 The Types of the Translation method ...........................…..….............…11
1.5.4 The techniques of the Translation method ..........................….................12
1.5.5 The guidelines of the Translation method ............…................................13
1.6.1 Using dictionaries......................................................................................14
Chapter two

The use of Mother tongue and the translation method in English language
Teaching……...........................................................................................................16
2.1.1. The advantages of using the Mother Tongue ...........................…..................21
2.1.2. The disadvantages of Using the Mother Tongue...........................….........…23

Chapter three

The Native and non-native teachers……...................….…....………..................….25

2.1.2 The Native Teachers….....…………........…………….........……...........…..26
2.1.3 The none-native English Teachers .........................…………..…...….....….26
2.1.4 The conflict between the native and non-native teachers..............................28

Chapter four

The Teaching Strategies ………………………………………………...……....….30

4.1 The teachers' Tasks............................................................................................32

4.2 The students' Problems......................................................................................33
4.3 The Translation Function...................................................................................33
4.4 The background of the students.........................................................................35
4.5 The teacher’s Activities in the Class-room........................................................35
4.6 The Four Skills in English Language Teaching.................................................36
4.6.1 Teaching of Reading........................................................................................36
4.6.2 Teaching of Writing.........................................................................................37
4.6.3 Teaching of Speaking.......................................................................................38
4.6.4 Teaching of Listening.......................................................................................39

Conclusion..................................................................................................................40
References...................................................................................................................42
 Acknowledgment

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. All praise
be to Allah, the Lord of the world; and prayers and peace be upon Mohamed His
servant and messenger.

First and foremost, we must acknowledge our limitless thanks to Allah, the Ever-
magnificent, the ever thankful, for his help and bless. We are totally sure that this work
would have never become truth, without Allah's guidance.

Special mention goes to our great help and enthusiastic supervisor, Mr. Masoud.
who has been of great help and gave us from his valuable time, not only the tremendous
academic support, but also giving us so many wonderful opportunities to make this
work possible.

Similarly, profound gratitude goes to Ms. Aisha, who has been a truly dedicated
mentor. We particularly indebted to her constant faith in our search, and her support
when she is generously hosting us in her office. We have very fond memories in this
department

Also, we hugely appreciative to Ms. Afaf Ghith, especially for sharing her expertise
in our work, and for being so dedicated to her role as our secondary supervisor.

Finally, thanks go to our parents whose was almost unbelievable support. They are
the most important people in our world and we dedicate this project to them.

I
 Dedication

In the memory of my father, with heartfelt gratitude for his love and encouragement
to me.
1945-2010 “Muhsin Bormila”

Ajdabiya
Date:
Names & Signatures

II
 Abstract

In general, different perspectives exist for and against the use of first language (L1) in English
as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching. There is a continuing matter of debate on whether L1
contributes to or precludes the learning of a second language (L2). Numerous studies have been
conducted on this topic, but no clear consensus exists on whether L1 should be banned or its
inclusion in EFL classrooms should be allowed.

However, few studies have identified the reasons for which students need such an inclusion.
More importantly, no studies seem to have considered reasons that may directly influence students'
perceptions of the use of L1 in their (L2) acquisitions, that is; educational background and their
language proficiency level.

This study primarily investigated whether students’ educational background and their L2
proficiency influenced their perceptions of the use of mouther tongue in their L2 learning as well
as their perceptions and needs for the use of L1in their classrooms.
Nevertheless, translation is perceived differently by linguists, methodologists and teachers. Its use
in foreign language teaching provokes a great deal of disagreement and criticism.

The main reason for this is the fact that throughout the years there have been a number of studies
carried out, which have either favored or completely ignored the use of translation as a learning
method. Translation was considered as inefficient, unreliable and irrelevant therefore significant
limitations led to the idea that the use of translation in language learning had to be avoided.

Keywords:
EFL English as a Foreign Language, ELT English Language Teaching, L1 language one
mother tongue, L2 language two target language, mother tongue, language teaching

III
 INTRODUCTION

English language has been considered as a ‘global language’ and has become a compulsory
school subject in many countries. This new position of English in schools leads to an increase of
interests in the English teaching methodology and the linguists try to discover the best approaches
towards English language teaching (ELT). The current issue now a day deals with the use of the
mother tongue in ELT and this issue is the subject of the study.

The use of the mother tongue during the teaching practice is always difficult to decide because
the use of the mother tongue was or was not sometimes appropriate.

The study is divided into four chapters.

The first chapter presents the possible ways of presenting the issue and items, describes
translation as teaching method and the attitudes towards the use of the mother tongue in various
teaching approaches which has developed and changed during time.

The use of mother tongue and the translation method in the ELF (English as a Foreign Language)
teaching are discussed in the second chapter and the two types of English teachers, native speaker
teacher and non-native speaker teacher, are compared and the advantages and disadvantages of the
use of translation in ELT are also presented.

In the third chapter we argued that if native and non-native speaker teacher used appropriately
and necessarily in EFL classrooms, it is beneficial rather than a hindrance Instead of taking strong
stances toward the inclusion or exclusion of in EFL classrooms.

The final chapter deals with the Teaching strategies that are obtained from the research and the
study that was carried out. This chapter focuses on the application of information presented in the
theoretical part or obtained from the result of study. And we include some advice that can be used
by teachers related to the four skills of the language, the students must be acquired

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 Its main aims are to find out whether the mother tongue is overused in some schools, in which
stages of the lesson the mother tongue is used, in which part of English lessons the use of the
mother tongue proves as beneficial, what is the learners` attitude about the use of the mother tongue
and translation.

The study deals with teaching languages which should be used for presenting language items
in ELT. It can be done either through a target language English or through the learners` mother
tongue (Arabic). These techniques will be discussed too.

The research is based on some historical readings about the teaching of English as a Foreign
Language combined with self-observation and some resource books and web sites which have
been surfed lately.

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 Chapter one

The Teaching methods in English

As a Foreign Language (EFL)

This chapter offers a brief overview of the development of the most important attitudes towards
the use of the learner`s mother tongue in ELT in different teaching methods and approaches which
have been dominating in the last two centuries.

Any serious study, which aims at contributing new ideas to English language teaching methods
have to analyze, thoroughly the strength and weakness of the various language teaching methods
tried. In this chapter an attempt is made to interpret and evaluate the methods that have been in
vogue from time to time in different parts of the world. While discussing each of these methods,
the prime objective, that is, the context of the ELT with particular reference to the solution, borne
in mind. The analysis of the methods includes the background in which the methods evolved the
basic principles and characteristic features of the methods, the strength and weakness of each
method and lastly the relevance of the method. Such an analysis of ELT methods is rendered with
the main objective of establishing the feasibility of following a bilingual approach for the teaching
of English as a second language especially in higher secondary and under graduate classes.

While teaching EFL (English as a Foreign Language) a teacher uses a lot of methods, techniques
and styles. This usage of different techniques is called methodology. Methodology means the way
of teaching. There are many methods of teaching which are used by the teacher according to the
need of students.

Students of different levels need different methods. Beginners need different methods of
teaching from those students who have been learning EFL for a longtime. Those who need the
language as a medium of instruction have to be taught differently from those who only need it as
a subject. Although sometimes a teaching method is imperfect, certain elements in it may be found
useful in a specific teaching situation. Where rules facilitate the learning process there is no reason
why they need not be incorporated in teaching.

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 For example, the teaching of English. has a number of different methodologies? Moreover,
methodologies have also kept changing over the years. Some methods have become fashionable,
whereas others have become out dated. Out of these number of different methods of teaching
English language, here are some universally recognized methods:

1.1. The Communicative Method

This is the recent method used in English language Teaching, in this method the spoken English
is given more weight than the reading or writing English. In this method it is emphasized that
student can communicate easily in English. This method has some shortcomings because through
this method student do not learn English properly. It provides shallow knowledge to students.
Therefor they do not learn to read or write, instead they focus on speaking.

On other hand, communicative English or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) also has
some advantages. It gives students the satisfaction of being able to achieve something of the
language. This feeling is very important in learning a language. In Communicative Method
students are taught how to greet, how to ask ordinary questions, to understand the answer and to
talk about the things of our daily life. This method useful for the students in their daily lives. And
works the best when they have opportunity to use English in their public lives.

Communicative method does not ignore the role of grammar in the process of language
learning, but it insists that the grammatical rules are useless unless they are applied to real life
situations. It maintains that grammatical competence is not a sufficient basis for communication.
There must be a shift of emphasis from the usage of structures. and lay emphasis on the functional,
communicative and social interactive activities.

Communicative competence entails the knowledge of how to use language appropriately in

given situations in given cultural contexts in order to achieve the desired objectives. To make
language learning practical and realistic in the language classes it is essential to create social and
real life like situations. Therefore, creating and interpreting everyday situations in the language
class should be the important strategy of teaching English as a second language.

The primary goal of a communicative approach must be to facilitate the integration of these types
of knowledge for the learner, on the outcome that is likely to result from the emphasis on one form
of competence over the others throughout a second language. Therefore, some great proponents of

4
CLT viewed learning a second language as acquiring the linguistic means to perform different
kinds of functions.

1.2. Direct Method

This is the most recent English teaching method. In this method students are taught through
English medium and the teacher does not speak any other language in the classroom. Therefor it a
direct method. It is easy to use this method in the class but it needs a careful plan before teaching
in the classroom. A teacher has to make a plan about what and which lesson he must teach first.
For instance, if a teacher is teaching vocabulary he has to plan which words should he introduce
first.

In this method the native language of the learner is not necessary for learning and teaching the
foreign language. The use of demonstration, objects, pictures, drawings and miming is common
for this method. When dealing with abstract vocabulary using the association of ideas is
recommended. It stresses out the importance of active use of the target language in the classroom
and oral communicative skills. Classroom instructions are given only through the target language.
For practicing new items, the form of exchanging questions and answers between the teacher and
students is recommended.

A direct method class is different from the grammar translation classes. The course began with
the learning of the foreign words and phrases for objects and actions in the classroom. where the
meaning of words could not be made clear by concrete representation, the teacher resorted to
miming, sketches or explanations in the foreign language but never by direct native language
translations. Grammar is not taught explicitly and deductively as in the grammar translation class
but learned largely through practice.

Students are encouraged to draw their own structural generalizations from what they have
been learning by an inductive process. When grammar is taught more systematically, at a later
stage, it is taught in the foreign language with the use of foreign language terminology. In a broad
sense any method, which does not use the learner's mother tongue, may be said to be a direct
method.

5
1.3 The Physical Response Method.
It is called the Comprehension Approach because of the importance it gives to listening
comprehension. Most of the other methods we have looked at have students speaking the target
language from the first day.

In the 1960s, James Asher’s research gave rise to the hypothesis that language learning starts
first with understanding and ends with production. After the learner internalizes an extensive map
of how the target language works, speaking will appear spontaneously. Of course, the students’
speech will not be perfect, but gradually speech will become more target-like. Notice that this is
exactly how an infant acquires its native language. A baby spends many months listening to the
people around it long before it ever says word. The child has the time to try to make sense out of
the sounds it hears. No one tells the baby that it must speak. The child chooses to speak when it is
ready to do so.

For example, at one point the teacher gives three connected commands. For example, the
teacher tells the students to point to the door, walk to the door, and touch the door. As the students
learn more and more of the target language, a longer series of connected commands can be given,
which together comprise a whole procedure. While we do not see a long action sequence in this
very first class, a little later on students might receive the following instructions, which they act
out:

Take out a pen.

Take out a piece of paper.
Fold the letter. Put it in an envelope.
Seal the envelope.
Write the address on the envelope.

This series of commands is called an action sequence, or an ‘operation.’ Many everyday

activities, like writing a letter, can be broken down into an action sequence that students can be
asked to perform.

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1.4 The Reading Method
"The Reading Method was devised for schools whose only objective was a reading knowledge
of the language. The method deliberately restricts the goal of language teaching to train in reading
comprehension" (Stern460).

As the initial step of the method the text to be taught is divided into short sections and each
preceded by a list of words to be taught through context, translation or pictures. After a certain
vocabulary level is reached, supplementary readers in the form of stories or simplified novels are
introduced in order to enable the learner to consolidate his vocabulary.

In the first quarter of the 20th century the reading method was advocated by some British and
American educators. Thus, the writings of West in The Modern Foreign Language Study (1929)
provided contemporary arguments for the futility of a total adoption of the direct method in Indian
conditions. West, who was teaching English in India, argued that learning to read fluently was
more important for Indians learning English than speaking. He realized the importance of 'Reading'
in second language learning and regarded it as the most useful and easiest skill to acquire in a
foreign language. He believed that 'the initial stage of learning a foreign language should be to
learn to read it... even in the case of a student who aims at complete mastery of reading, writing
and speech. This inspired him to create his Nezo Method Readers. These readers advocated a
method based primarily on reading. Later it came to be known as the Reading Method. West
realized that in general the Indian learner of English needed to improve his receptive skills only.
He also stated that the Reading Method makes it easy to learn and teach and the size of the class
is immaterial. The method is based on the psychological principle that listening and understanding
precede speaking and writing. The aim of this method is to create a desire in the readers to read
more and more by supplying interesting reading materials with a controlled vocabulary and regular
repetition of new words.

The only practical form of language teaching in American high schools would be to
concentrate on reading skills and they developed a reading method approach to college
language courses at Chicago University between 1920 and 1940. The course of study
that was developed over a period of decades provided graded reading materials and a
systematic approach to learning to read.

7
 The spoken language was not entirely neglected, but it was the reading objective that received
the main emphasis. Regarding the techniques employed for reading method Stern writes: The
techniques were not radically deficient from those developed under previous methods. As under
grammar translation, the use of the first language was not banned in language instruction.

The introduction of the second language was oral as in the direct method because facility in
pronunciation and 'inner speech' were regarded as an important aid in reading comprehension.
Above all, vocabulary control in reading text was regarded as of prime importance and so was the
distinction between intensive reading for detailed study and extensive rapid reading of graded
'readers' for general comprehension

The Reading Method introduced into language teaching some important new elements such as
the possibility of devising techniques of language learning geared to specific purposes, the
application of vocabulary control to second language texts, as a means of better grading of texts
and the creation of graded 'readers' thanks to vocabulary control and the introduction of techniques
of rapid reading to the foreign language classroom.

This new method failed because the exponents of this method believed that plenty of exercises
in reading comprehension would enable the learner to improve in speech and writing. But the
passive work could not generate active work.

Further, West considered that the silent reading is a key to speech and writing. But modem
researchers and investigators in the field of language learning do not support this view.

On the other hand, they feel that the best way of learning a language is through speech. Another
main reason for its failure was the lack of adequately trained competent teachers to teach.

8
1.5 The Translation Method.

This is the oldest method of teaching English language. For many years English was taught by
the use of rules of grammar and by lists of vocabulary. The students had to memorize the rules of
grammar and a long list of vocabulary. Then they were asked to translate the sentences or passages
from one language into the other.

This method is called Grammar and Translation Method. This was very difficult, but it gave a
good knowledge of the language. But some of the rules taught to students were not applicable in
modern English because they were the rules of the dead languages like Greek however it is
surprising that this method remained in practice for a long time. It may be due to the limited aim
of teaching English because at that time English was taught to students who wanted to learn only
how to read and write the language. Speaking was not necessary for them. They were not supposed
to meet the natives to converse with them. The second reason may be the unavailability of tape
recorders, cassettes, films and other modern aids.

Translation plays a crucial role. the grammar and word meaning are explained in the learner`s
native language. The grammar rules are practiced through translation activities and the learners
are required to achieve high levels in the translation. Teachers use translation into the learner`s
native language for giving instructions as well as for comparing both languages.

Translation was a teaching technique, a teaching device and was regarded as a teaching method.
for many years and it was right at the heart of language teaching, because it was one of the basic
elements of language in the medieval universities and schools.

However, for the past few decades, Translation has been generally put aside, and used from
time to time in special courses.

9
1.5.1 The history of the Translation Method

A brief glance at the history of teaching English as a foreign language would demonstrate that.
Translation was important in teaching Greek and Latin in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Grammar Translation Method was the only method for teaching. The most important aspect of the
grammar translation method was that the translation was frequently used in the process of learning.
It was used both as a means of explaining new words, grammar forms and structures and as a
means of mastering the foreign language. It was criticized because of the close association with
traditional grammar translation.

Translation was often regarded as some kind of mechanical linguistic transfer of meaning from
one language to another. It was ignored as a useful language learning tool because of being not a
communicative activity that is not suited to the general needs of the language learner. Translation
now is considered as time-consuming, boring, and irrelevant for many people.

However, in the last few decades there has been an increasing interest in the translation practice
in the foreign language classrooms. Recently foreign language teachers have been reviving the use
of translation for different learning purposes. It was observed that translation activity could be
used for pedagogical purposes along with other traditional language teaching activities such as
Reading, grammar exercises, among others.

The long-term teaching practice showed that translation as a method applied to language
teaching practice induces deeper insight into the meaningful contents of the material to be taught.

1.5.2 The Importance of the Translation Method

To prove that translation is a valid method for language practice and improvement. Firstly, to
describe the translation activities which raise students’ awareness of language use and, secondly,
to examine the usefulness of translation in learning English.

The methodology of the study are the overview of the theoretical background, analysis of
translation activities and the analysis of the results which have been observed in the EFL teaching
and remarks given by expertise teachers.

10
 Translation sometimes led to complete failure of the Grammar Translation Method and the
drastic decline of the role of translation in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Although role
of translation in foreign language teaching was of great importance it was mainly used as a means
of conveying the meaning of a word, a phraseological group, a grammatical form or a sentence
pattern. Translation was then considered the main method of teaching a foreign language. But
practice demonstrated, however, that the constant use of translation did not ensure the necessary
conditions for students’ direct comprehension and that speaking and reading were more important.
Translation did not provide the development of speech habits and skills. Consequently, the teacher
might use translation when explaining new material and checking his students’ knowledge.

1.5.3 The Types of the Translation method

There are also several types of translation used in foreign language teaching. Taking into
account the relationship between the mother tongue and the foreign language, there are three types
of translation: translation from the foreign language into the mother tongue, translation from the
mother tongue into the foreign language and retranslation (first students translated from the foreign
language into the mother tongue and then, after a while, back into the foreign language)Then, if
we considered translation from the point of view of its relation to the original, there are four types
of translation: word for word translation (or literally translation) which drew a comparison between
the elements of the target language and those of the mother tongue observing in this way, the
difference between these languages.

Another type of translation is adequate translation, which transmitted the thought expressed in
the foreign language by means of the corresponding equivalents of the mother tongue, then free
translation or free interpretation of the text in the mother tongue that are read or heard in the foreign
language.

The literary-artistic translation, which required special skills and knowledge. Therefore, it could
not be introduced in school syllabus requirements. This type of translation under its two forms:
written and oral, was to be used with the aim of checking students’ comprehension and their
knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Consequently.

Translation was considered as a means of teaching of foreign language and its various types
were also recommended in the EFL teaching.

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1.5.4 The Techniques of the Translation Method

Translation must take into account a number of constraints, including the context, the rules of
grammar of the two languages, their writing conventions, their idioms and the like. Teaching
English at higher education is quite different from teaching it at secondary school or high school.
Here we teach the specialized vocabulary in a certain domain and it is a complex task. Moreover,
students generally come from previous educational levels with a lack of knowledge and with no
desire of getting involved in the teaching –learning process. Therefore, they should be aware of
the fact that English is essential nowadays, on the one hand and sometimes they are taught
specialized English courses based on specialized texts, on the other hand. What the students think
and feel about language learning is of great importance in language teaching and this should be
taken into account in any course planning.

Since translation makes the students develop their reading comprehension ability. It is quite
obvious that before one can translate any text, he or she should read the text carefully, trying to
make sense of its features like sentence structures, context and register.

In other words, there should be a kind of textual analysis, which is very important in reading
comprehension. Translation is a conscious process of learning. In the translation process there are
two main activities both of which require full engagement of the learner. The first activity is
"understanding" the source text and the second is "formulating" it in the target language (Harry
and Higgins, 1992). This latter characteristic is what distinguishes translation from reading.

Translation is a kind of communicative activity, which is practiced within a meaningful context

(Duff 1990). It enhances interaction between the teacher and the students and among the students
themselves due to the fact that rarely is there any absolute "right" rendering of the text.

Translation can be used as a technique in reading classes. As reading comprehension should be

inferred from the other behavior; it is important to be able to accurately assess students'
comprehension of the text read. That is, among the other techniques we may ask students to
translate part of the reading text into their native language to ensure if they have fully grasped the
meaning. This can be done at the end of the reading lesson.

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1.5.5 The guidelines of the Translation method

The students usually use L1 as a resource, so teachers should try to find out ways of exploiting
this resource rather than neglecting it.

Therefore, some practical guidelines are presented below:

 Extreme care should be taken in selecting texts to be translated by the students. -Naturally, dull,
overlong and uncommunicative texts that are difficult to translate usually demotivate the
students. So, it is much more practical to start with short communicative texts.
 In practical teaching situations, the students who are to work on translation should be given
prior guidance on practical procedures before being engaged in the translation itself. Initially
they should be told that translation is not just taking the pen and starting the translation word
by word or sentence by sentence. They should be briefly informed of translation procedures
like "preparation," "analysis," "transfer," "initial draft," "rewording," "testing the translation,"
"polishing," and "final manuscript" (Larson 1987).
 Grouping the students is of great importance in our classes. It offers a cooperative climate and
promotes learners' responsibilities (Brown 2001). So, to get the best translation, students can
work in groups and participate in oral discussions. These activities surely will make the
translation task interesting since the students are learning the language in an active way.
 To use translation as an effective teaching tool, the difficulty of the texts should be taken into
account. In the selection of the texts, we should not only pay attention to the degree of second-
language (L2) proficiency, but also the degree of difficulty of the texts. Unfortunately, there is
not any comprehensive view on determining the text difficulty; however, teachers can make a
prediction of the relative difficulty of a given text. One practical way of handling this problem
is the initial adaptation of authentic translation material. In this way, some lexical, semantic,
syntactic and discourse elements, which are supposed to impede the students' comprehension,
may be manipulated (Darian, 2001).
 The translation of technical texts refers more specifically to texts that contain a high amount of
terminology.

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1.6 The use of the dictionaries
When dealing either with the question of the use of mother tongue in the foreign language
teaching or with the use of the translation the dictionaries are in a certain way related with the
both issues. Some teachers probably hesitate whether the dictionaries should be involved in the
foreign language lessons and if it should be involved what type is the most appropriate.
Teachers of the foreign language can choose from various types of dictionaries: paper
dictionaries, online dictionaries, or electronic dictionaries, but crucial is the choice of the two
main types of the dictionaries – bilingual (or semi bilingual) and monolingual.
Bilingual dictionaries give the translation of English words into the second language while
monolingual dictionaries offer the English definitions of English words and there is no
translation into the second language. Therefore, they can be sometimes called “English only
dictionaries” (Atkinson, 1993, p. 92). But the first question is whether the dictionaries generally
are suitable tools for the foreign language teaching.
Once the teachers decide to allow their students to use dictionaries they have to face question.
Which dictionary is more effective learning tool monolingual or bilingual? Accordingly, some
of surveys prove that there is still tendency to avoid the use of monolingual dictionaries even
in the higher levels. On the other hand, some claims say that there are some teachers who
completely refuse the use of the bilingual dictionaries as they want to avoid the mother tongue
in the foreign language class.
It is hard to say which way is better because both dictionaries have their advantages as well
as the disadvantages. Therefore, it depends only on the teachers’ choice.
The main argument for the use of the monolingual dictionaries is that it eliminates the use
of the learners` mother tongue in the English lesson. The learners will not be efficient users of
English if they operate always via an extra step of translating into their first language, which
the use of bilingual or semi-bilingual dictionaries is likely to encourage “. Atkinson (1993, p.
93) claims that in order to learn English effectively it is necessary to think in English as often
as possible and these dictionaries enables it. Because not all words have got the equivalents in
L2 and therefore they cannot be translated. But the definition could be given anytime. In
monolingual dictionaries learners can also find more information relating to the use of the word.

14
 On the other hand, there are some important disadvantages. Monolingual dictionaries are
usually too difficult for less advanced learners whose vocabulary is limited and they are hardly
able to understand the definitions.
Even know that there are advantages and disadvantages between the bilingual and
monolingual dictionaries still the most beneficial is the fact that it is convenient for total
beginners and sometimes a simple translation can be more effective than a definition.
Obviously, there are benefits on both sides and both dictionaries can be used in the classroom,
but the bilingual dictionaries should be used only when it is necessary because the focus must
remain on the English language.

However, dictionaries can also work as beneficial teaching tools but their types have to
correspond to the age and abilities of students. The use of monolingual dictionaries is refused
by many educators as it is too difficult for young students. On the other hand, bilingual
dictionaries require again the use of the mother tongue therefore it should not be used too often.
The biggest advantage is that the use of dictionaries can help students to work on their own.

15
 Chapter two

The Use of Mother Tongue and the Translation

Method in English Language Teaching

Learning a new language is not a simple task. When we learn a new language, many interesting
horizons of research and knowledge arise. The first language interference is one of them. We also
name this occurrence as mother tongue interference. L1 has some other titles as well, like primary
and native language. Similarly, L2 is termed as ‘foreign language’.

When a new language is acquired, the first language is used as a tool and medium to learn it
and L1 influences the learning of L2; therefore, in this situation, L1 interference is quite a normal
phenomenon. L1 interference can evolve in any area of the target language such as grammar,
spellings, pronunciation, syntax, vocabulary, accent and so on.

1. Mother Tongue

We use this term to refer to the first language (hence after L1) of a child. Normally, a child is
exposed to a language immediately after his/her birth. A child starts learning a language that has
been surrounding him/her since his/her birth. With the passage of time this learning of language
goes on cognitively and time comes when he/she can speak, read and write that language perfectly.
So, mother tongue is the first language of a child which he/she has learnt first and uses it for
communicating of his/her needs and desires.

Mother tongue is also termed as the native or primary language. It is the basics of one's recognition
and origin. It’s the language which occupies one's thought process and conscience.

2. Second Language

An online dictionary defines the second language as “a language other than the mother tongue
that a person or community uses for public communication, especially in trade, higher education
and administration” Another definition of the second language in the same dictionary is “a non-
native language officially recognized and adopted in a multilingual country as a means of public
communication.” The second language is also called the target language

16
3. Language Learning Theories

The occurrence of errors can be explained by referring to learning theories and language
theories. The effect of Proactive-Retroactive Inhibition (PI/RI) is the learning theory in this case.
The storage of new experiences interferes with memories encoded earlier in time. Therefore, it is
hard to learn a new phone number and car registration because the old ones tend to compete and
come to mind instead. Proactive Inhibition is the effect of prior learning inhibiting new learning
(Ellis, 2006:174). This reflects interlingua errors. On the other hand, Retroactive Inhibition (RI)
refers to the difficulty in recalling old information because of newly learned information. This
reflects intra lingual errors (Ellis, 2006).

On the other hand, three language theories are used to illustrate why errors are made by Arab
learners of English. The Interference or Transfer Theory is one of them. Ellis (1997:51) refers to
interference as “Transfer”, which he says is “The influence that the learner’s L1 exerts over the
acquisition of an L2”.

According to Jibe (as cited in James, 2007), transfer is „the carrying-over of learned responses
from one type of situation to another.” Transfer can be of two types: positive transfer and negative
transfer. The positive transfer refers to the process of using rules from L1 which facilitates or has
a positive influence on learning L2. This transfer is mostly due to similarities between L1 and L2.
In contrast, negative transfer is the transfer of rules from L1 which impedes or has harmful
influence on the command of rules of L2. This is due to differences between L1 and L2. Another
language theory which issued explain language errors is the contrastive analysis. It is the
systematic comparison of two or more languages, with the aim of describing their similarities and
differences (Johansson, 2008:9). If the two languages are drastically different, learners will use the
linguistic patterns they have learnt in their native language to help them do tasks in learning L2. A
third theory that has been used by many researchers to identify the errors made by second language
learners is "Error Analysis".

Richards and Schmidt (2002:184) define "error analysis as the study off errors made by L2
learners, with the purpose of identifying the causes of these errors." Researchers suggested
different taxonomies for error analysis. Keshavarz (1994) cited in Shehade and Chichi, 2011)
suggest a taxonomy of the inter-lingual errors: phonological errors, morphological errors,
grammatical errors leno- semantic errors, and stylistic elements.

17
 Translation as the teaching method have undergone a long-lasting development. At the
beginning of the process, the translation had an important position in the foreign language
teaching, especially in the era of the Grammar-Translation method when the students had to
translate long historic texts word for word. The following methods were rather skeptic to the use
of the translation in the ELT. The negative approach continued for many years and only recently,
with the development of the Communicative approach, the translation has become again a valuable
method for the foreign language teaching while using mother tongue.

The similarities between the use of the mother tongue and the translation in ELT are obvious.
It is nothing surprising as both teaching methods are closely connected and one cannot exist
without the other. Despite the more positive perception of the translation, even nowadays, there
are many disputes about its usefulness and linguists are still divided into two opinion groups. There
are several types of the translation, which are possible to use in the lesson.

Here are the most common ones:

The translation from the foreign language into the mother tongue or the translation from the mother
tongue into the foreign language The second one should be used in the classroom most often
because it requires the active knowledge of the foreign language and it prepares learners for
expressing their own ideas in the foreign language. Kaye (2009) confirms that “modern translation
activities usually move from L1 to L2, (although the opposite direction can also be seen in lessons
with more specific aims).

The oral translation is more difficult than the written one because the considerable degree of
readiness is necessary in this case. While during the written translation learners have got more
time to think, during the oral translation they must act immediately and that the written translation
can be time consuming.

The free translation is used if the text is more difficult and contains larger amount of the
unknown language items.

Therefore, learners should be able to translate it with the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary
they have learnt so far. Atkinson (1993, p. 64) considers the summary translation as very useful
arguing that this kind of translation is used more often in the real-life situations than the exact

18
translation in which the text is translated word for word’ and the translated text has to correspond
with the original as much as possible.

There are some good reasons for the purposeful inclusion of translation activity in our
classrooms. First of all, as a communicative activity, it enhances interaction between teacher and
students and among the students themselves. Second, being a conscious process of language
learning, it fully engages the learners in the learning process. Third, translation helps students
develop their reading comprehension abilities. Fourth, it can be used as an evaluative technique
for checking students reading comprehension of a particular text. However, in order to obtain the
above-mentioned benefits, we must consider some points. The students should be initially given
prior guidance on the practical procedures of translation activity and encouraged to work in groups
to get the best translation. The degree of students' L2 proficiency along with the degree of the text
difficulty should also be considered.

Advocates of this view would argue that, when learning another language, translation is a
natural phenomenon. Even the student who went abroad to learn another language began the first
few months translating everything into his/her mother tongue using a bilingual dictionary to
acquire a knowledge base of vocabulary. In fact, research has shown that switching between
languages and translation happens instinctively to all language learners and the L1 is actually an
important resource in second language (L2) learning.

For these reasons, teachers should try to work with this innate tendency rather than against it.
Furthermore, in situations where the students' L1 was not even allowed in private spaces found
that students simply did not speak, used their L1 quietly, and felt a sense of shame when they were
punished for using their own language. Learning another language should add richness to students'
lives; it should not devalue their own language and culture.

By allowing L1 use, students would get the sense that learning another language is a positive
experience because they can have access to a valuable resource that supports them, and they do
not have to feel guilty for doing what comes naturally.

Being able to use the L1 with students can be more efficient and make time for more useful
activities. For example, if instructions to an activity is complicated, and students do not seem to
comprehend the English explanation, asking a student who does understand to translate for the

19
entire class would create more time for the activity and prevent a lot of frustration for both teachers
and students.

The attitudes to the use of the translation in the foreign language teaching are similar to the
attitudes towards the mother tongue. The translation is refused by many teachers, especially
because they are afraid of involving the mother tongue in the lesson and they think that translation
activities are boring and irrelevant to EFL Teaching.

Here, many of the negative arguments can be disproved and many advantages can be found.
And the interesting activities which were presented here show that this method need not be boring
at all. On the topic of language learning, there are many stories of students going abroad for a
period of time and returning home fluent in the foreign language.

The reason for this dramatic change is often attributed to the fact that the student was
completely immersed in the culture and the language because of the seemingly huge success, many
language schools and teachers all over the world in English-speaking countries such as Canada,
United States, and England, and non-English-speaking countries choose to adopt and enforce this
policy to recreate that full immersion experience for their students. Therefor it is obvious that the
positive influence of translation in the language classroom is significant.

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2.1.1 The advantages of Using the Mother.
Based on previous studies on methods and techniques that teachers apply in the foreign
language teaching, in this case English Language, this study has to do with the frequency of the
Mother Tongue usage in foreign language lectures, the student’s attitude toward this strategy and
functions that induce both students and teachers to apply such a method in English Foreign
Language (EFL)

This paper mainly deals with the study of how they see the implementation of this method and
identifies the factors that lead to its use. This study seeks to highlight how successful and positive
is the usage of mother tongue during the teaching-learning process in English Foreign Language.

It seems to be very needed by the students and welcomed as well. In the teaching-learning
process of foreign language all teachers’ efforts are focused in achieving the objective which deals
with successful teaching towards learning foreign language by her/his students.

The students are aware that the teacher of foreign language is the person who speaks in second
language, without being conscious that they will feel the need to include native language during
EFL classes. So, students are not aware about the methods and strategies that the teacher will use
during L2 teaching. One thing is clear, students in a classroom beside each other, the closest person
whose help will appreciate is their teacher, and one way or the other the teacher must necessarily
have completed the students’ requirements.

Usually students expect from their English language teacher to address to them in English
language. They listen to their teacher with nostalgia and gain full confidence that their knowledge
will grow, considering that in front of them is a teacher who has high professional skills.

Therefore, using mother tongue while teaching and learning English Language is not only
learning strategy but also a communication strategy as well. This strategy has led researchers to
explore more about its use during teaching, its impact on learning and the reasons why and when
this technique needs to be implemented.

21
 The teacher, often when new unfamiliar words appear and if synonyms are not helping the
students to find out the meaning of that word, then they eventually lose their patience and they
require a translation in L1 from their teacher. This also happens during grammar teaching when
usually we need to compare first language grammar with Foreign Language grammar or when they
need extra explanation on a given assignment. Students, even when they are aware that they are
following L2 class and are required to use L1 as less as they can, they still feel the need to
communicate in L1, even with a single word. This shows that the use of mother tongue technique,
which called Code-Switching, is an unavoidable method used in the EFL lectures.

Regardless the success that student achieved in learning foreign language, teacher-student's
communication in L1 promotes positive energy which can motivate for further learning. Therefore,
is more than important for teacher to find the appropriate method and strategy in creating calm and
warm environment which might avoid students’ stress.

We might expect, therefore, that the choice of communication strategies will reflect the learners’
stage of development’’ (Ellis, 1997). To be as transparent in teacher-student relationship, Code-
Switching in the L1 in EFL teaching is used by the teacher to fill the gaps that students feel the
need for.

From the teacher’s perspective, communicating with students in their mother tongue seems to
improve teacher-student rapport (Harbord, 1992). Just saying, “Hello, how are you?” in the
students’ language can cause a fit of giggles and often draws students to the teacher to find out
what else (s) he can say in their language (s). Also, being able to use the L1 with students can be
more efficient and make time for more useful activities. For example, if instructions to an activity
is complicated, and students do not seem to comprehend the English explanation, asking a student
who does understand to translate for the entire class would create more time for the activity and
prevent a lot of frustration for both teachers and students.

22
 Here we sum up the advantages of using L1 as follows:

1. L1 use gives a sense of security and helps learners.

2. L1 is the greatest asset people bring to the task of Foreign Language learning.
3. A foreign language friendly atmosphere is best achieved through selective use of the L1.
4. The use of the L1 saves learners from a feeling of frustration they might have within their
Foreign Language learning.
5. L1 techniques allow teachers to use a richer and more authentic text, which means more
comprehensible input and faster acquisition, Butzkamm (2003). Learners do not appreciate
Teachers’ action by speaking only in target language, especially when they need to learn
about the meaning of unfamiliar words, any grammar explanation and instructions for
activities in the classroom.

Also a teacher can exploit students’ previous L1 learning experience to increase their
understanding. When it comes to manage the classroom, code switching plays an important role
because teacher should try to make a comfortable environment for all students so he/she manages
to get the attention of all students for second language learning. Usually EFL classroom invites
students on different activity in order to acquire foreign language in more successful way, including
individual work, pair work or group work.

When in front of teachers are talkative students with low level proficiency, and then teachers
forced to intervene or switch in the L1 to create a quite environment. Therefore, teacher does not
use mother tongue only to direct her/his students into the lesson but first of all to create quite
environment so students will be able to view the lesson.

2.1.2 The disadvantages of Using the Mother Tongue.

Despite the advantages of using L1, it is nonetheless indicated that there are disadvantages of
overusing mother tongue in foreign language classrooms. Overusing L1 causes using L2 less. The
students feel dependent on their mother tongue. Rolin-Ianziti&Vrshney (2008) emphasized that
“without continuous L2 input students tend to lose confident in using the L2 and as a result, lose
interest in or are discouraged from participating in future L2 endeavors” (cited in Jones 2010).

23
Here we sum up the problems of overusing mother tongue in EFL Teaching:

1. “The teacher and / or the students begin to feel that they have not ‘really’ understood any item
of language until it has been translated.
2. The teacher and / or the students fail to observe the distinctions between equivalence of form,
semantic equivalence, and pragmatic features, and thus oversimplify to the point of using
crude and inaccurate translation.
3. Students speak to the teacher in the mother tongue as a matter of course, even when they quite
capable of expressing what they mean.
4. Students fail to realize that during many activities in the classroom it is essential that they use
only English”.

However, it is just this kind of tendency that could lead to the development of an excessive
dependency on the students’ mother tongue (Harbord, 1992) by both teachers and
students. Consequently, students lose confidence in their ability to communicate in English: They
may feel that the only way they would understand anything the teacher says is when it has been
translated, or they use their mother tongue even when they are perfectly capable of expressing the
same idea in English. This can significantly reduce students’ opportunities to practice English,
and students fail to realize that using English in classroom activities is essential to improve their
language skills.

While the argument from both sides are equally compelling, it is clear, that despite the
numerous advantages of students using their L1 in English-language learning, they do not
outweigh the disadvantages.

24
 Chapter Three
The Native and non-native teachers

The question of the use of the mother tongue is in some aspects connected with the role of
native or non-native speaker teachers in the English lesson. It is obvious so far that the knowledge
of the learner`s native language can have a positive impact on the teaching. This fact gives non-
native speaker teachers an advantage over the native ones. On the other hand, native speaker
teachers know the language better than non-native speakers which is a useful thing. It appears that
it is not possible to say which one is better because both of them have their positive and negative
sides. Atkinson shares the same opinion when he claims that “it doesn`t make sense to say that
native speakers or non-native speakers are simply ‘better’” (Atkinson, 1993, p. 7).

Therefore, this chapter is not aimed to try to find the right answer but to compare the two types
in the light of advantages and disadvantages of both of them. It is obvious that the native speaker
teacher`s knowledge of English is more complete than non-native`s one and it is always easier to
teach something we know well.

The non-native speaker teachers have got a double work because they have to teach the foreign
language and also talk about the foreign language as a foreign language while native speaker
teachers simply teach the foreign language in their mother tongue which is much easier for them.

Therefore, native speaker teachers are usually more benevolent to their learners ‘mistakes.
Enclave (1998/1999, p. 4) claims that if these two types of the teachers correct the same test Non-
native speaker teachers will correct more mistakes because they are more consistent.

Non-native speaker teachers have to play two different roles. As the native they should respect
their own culture and as the professional they should not only know a lot about the cultures of the
English-speaking countries but also represents them in the lesson.

25
3.1.1 The Native English teachers

Learners can feel that they might learn English better when their teacher knows the language
perfectly. Native English speaker teachers usually need not to worry about their errors in their
speech as much anon-native English speaker teachers. “Native speaker intuitions about language
are supposed to resulting the production of correct, idiomatic utterances, as well as providing the
ability to recognize acceptable versions of language. Most of non-native speaker teachers of
English can only aspire to this.” (McNeill, 1994, p. 3) native English speaker teachers cannot be
afraid that they will come across English words which they do not know. In many cases, it`s easier
for native speakers to insist on students using English in the classroom, especially if they don`t
know the students` language.”

3.1.2 The Non-native Teacher

1. provide a good learner model for imitation.

2. teach language learning strategies more effectively.
3. supply learners with more information about the English language.
4. anticipate and prevent language difficulties.
5. be more empathetic to the needs and problems of learners.
6. make use of the learners` mother tongue

Teachers of foreign language can set two models before their students: a language model and a
learner model. The native speaker teachers are mostly better language models. But as far as the
learner model concerned the native speaker teachers cannot be imitated because they treat English
as a foreign language. Non-native speaker teachers once were and still are the learners of English
as well as their students therefore they can be good learning models.

But this does not work with all teachers. Midges gives an explanation: “Only those on-native
speaker teachers should be set as models who are successful learners of English themselves.” He
is convinced that in order to be a good teacher you have to be a good learner, too. (Midges, 1994,
p. 55)31ad 2)

26
 Learning strategies are useful tools which help students make their learning process less
difficult. But it is not easy to recognize what is the most appropriate way for dealing with certain
tasks. Teachers, who used to be in the same position as their learners, had to find the most useful
strategies during their studies and therefore they can offer their own experiences to learners.
(Midges, 1994, p. 55-57) Mizuno, the Japanese university lecturer, also agrees with this fact claims
that only the teacher who has undergone the process of learning the foreign language himself can
understand the feelings of his learners and help them with finding effective ways of learning or
with overcoming the difficulties. (Mizuno, p. 181)16ad 3)

Non-native speaker teachers and learners of English at the same time can provide students with
more information about English language, especially about the problematic areas in learning the
foreign language, because they know better than the native speaker teachers what could be more
difficult for them thanks to experiences they obtained during their own study.

For example, Midges (1994, p. 60) claims that the native English speaker teacher is not aware
of many points of confusion in the foreign language (e.g. differences in word order).

Another example is that the Non-native English speaker teachers are more sensitive to the learners`
vocabulary needs as they are able to recognize which vocabulary will cause the difficulties.
(McNeill,1994, p. 12) ad 4) “Many errors have their cause in the L1.” (Atkinson, 1993, p. 8) It is
called the negative transfer.

To decode such errors, the knowledge of the learners` native language is necessary. Atkinson
is convinced that native speaker teachers cannot understand these difficulties because they were
not students of English as a foreign language. And it does not matter if they studied other foreign
languages. Whereas the Non-native English speaker teachers are more familiar with the students`
learning context (linguistic, cultural and personal backgrounds) they can understand their feelings
and worries better and it is easier for them to adapt the teaching to learners` social needs

“Non-native speaker teachers have a good idea about: the learner`s educational backgrounds;
their expectations about how teachers should teach and learners should learn; their knowledge of
the world; similarities and differences between learners` culture and English speaking cultures; the
learners ‘knowledge of English-speaking cultures, what sort of topic the students might find

27
motivating and the sorts of ways in which the students might need to use English in the
future”(Atkinson, 1993, p. 9). ad 6)

3.1.3 The conflict between the native and non-native teachers

There are some conflict situations when teachers have to decide which of these identities should
be used. (Midges, 1994, p. 39) Here are several possible situations in which teachers could hesitate

• Should the classroom rules correspond to the rules typical for the schools in the learners` native
country or to the rules which are common in an English-speaking country?

• Should teachers behave in the way which is typical for teachers from the foreign country?

• Should teachers` speech consist of the typical English discourse?

• Should teachers use teaching techniques typical for the English teaching style?

• Should teachers decorate the classroom with things relating to English-speaking countries?

• Should teachers use English even outside the classroom? is also aware of this teacher`s double

• Should teachers as educators teach their learners their own culture but as the foreign language
teachers they are also supposed to teach them to respect the culture of the foreign countries.

• The stress to be a teacher means to deal with a lot of stress because people in this profession are
exposed to many difficult situations, no matter if they are teachers of English or another
subject.

Apart from these problems which are common for the teachers of all subjects the teacher of
foreign language can be stressed much more because of his language deficiencies.

According to Midges “we may easily lose face both before our students and fellow teachers
because of what we reckon to be inadequate knowledge of English.” (Midges, 1994, p. 43) In this
case native speaker teachers stand in the better positions they are usually more familiar with the
language they teach so the stress they are exposed to is smaller.

28
 As it was already mentioned in one of the previous chapters the teachers` anxiety about their
poor linguistic abilities is one of the main reasons why they recur to the L1.

On the other side, there is quite a lot of aspects of being Non-native speaker teachers which
can be beneficial. It is difficult to decide which of the two teachers is better it is not easy at all and
somebody even maintains that it is nonsense to make such decision. The native English speaker
teachers and non-native English speaker teachers are potentially equally effective teachers,
because at the final their respective strengths and weaknesses balance each other out.

There are so many other factors which seem to be more important. Eventually if the teachers
do not master pedagogical skills it is absolutely irrelevant whether they are the native or non-native
speaker teachers.

It was already proved that the mother tongue can sometimes work as a very useful tool in the
foreign language teaching. The knowledge of the mother tongue is therefore an indisputable
advantage for the non-native teachers. Of course it is possible to teach only through the target
language but each teacher has to face at least sometimes the situation when the usage of the mother
tongue is almost inevitable. (Medgyes, p. 67)

29
 Chapter four

The Teaching Strategies

The target language need not be presented only through the spoken word. The communication
in English does not mean using only verbal expressions but to make it as natural as possible
interaction. Non-verbal communication can be used as a support for the presentation in order to
help learners understand better because the meaning can be conveyed not only through the word
itself but also trough gestures, mimes and facial expressions and through many other non-verbal
means.

The social and cultural backgrounds of the students make the teacher faces a lot of problems
while teaching English to Arab students. There are many reasons for this. The first and the most
important reason is that the Arab students have no enough knowledge of the basic English language
although they are taught English in schools. The teacher who teaches in higher classes faces lot of
problems while teaching prescribed books or courses in higher classes.

On the other hand, students look towards their teacher with great hope. They consider the
teacher the most competent and think that the teacher would make them learn English very soon
Thus a teacher’s responsibility towards his students is doubled. As a result, many English teachers
are disappointed. But if the teacher has little patience and he is competent and intelligent he would
handle the situation easily and achieve his goal. The plans, strategies and methods of teaching
English to these students was the main issue of this research paper.

Teaching a second language is not easy. But it can be taught effectively with patience and hard
labor with the help of self-invented methodologies suitable for students. For this a teacher has to,
first of all, study the problems and difficulties faced his students in the process of learning English.

Once the problems and difficulties are found out, the task of teaching becomes easy for an
intelligent teacher. A competent, intelligent, hardworking and cooperative teacher is necessary for
learning a second language. Therefore, the learner is lucky if he gets a competent teacher while
learning a second language. When he starts learning a second or foreign language, a student faces
30
a lot of problems. At this stage his teacher comes for help. He tries to understand his student's
problems, solves them and saves the students from depression. He frames Curriculum suitable for
his students, selects reading materials for them and creates a suitable environment for learning
English in the class-room. While learning a second language, a student faces many problems like
socio-cultural problems, unfamiliarity with the subject, different style of writing from his mother
tongue, pronunciation problem and problem in recognizing the alphabets.

The socio-cultural background of a student plays a vital role in learning the second language.
His culture is totally different from the culture of the language which he is learning. Therefore, the
teacher comes for his help and has to. The teacher tells him something about the culture, the way
of the living of the people, and the linguistic nature and style of the second language. He also
makes his student familiar with the subject through the class-room practice. He teaches alphabets,
words and finally gives short familiar topics to write on and to read the selected passages, in order
to improve students' linguistic knowledge.

It is true that learning a language is a long process but it is not tiresome. It is enjoyable but the
condition is that there should be a highly qualified and competent teacher. So, while appointing a
teacher to teach EFL, we should be careful because the learning of EFL totally depends on the
efficiency and competency of the teacher.

If a teacher is found incompetent, he should immediately be replaced by a competent teacher.

It does not mean that there should be any restriction on the teacher. In fact, a teacher should be
free in adopting a style of teaching in the class-room. Every teacher has a different style of teaching
in the class-room. If a student fails in learning or improving his linguistic knowledge, it does not
mean that his teacher is not good or incompetent. Because we can, blame his style of teaching, not
the teacher himself.

31
4.1 The teachers' Tasks

There is a number of methodologies for teaching English. These methodologies keep on

changing with the passage of time. For some one method of teaching may be fashionable while for
others the same may be out of date. So, it is up to the teacher to choose a methodology of teaching
according to the need of his students. The main aim of a teacher should be to develop the linguistic
knowledge of his students. To achieve this goal, a teacher has to take the following steps:

1. A teacher should encourage students to learn new vocabularies and their usages.
2. He must tell them how to consult a dictionary.
3. He must teach students the parts of speech. It means that students must know the words, they
are learning, are verbs, nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
4. The teacher should make students use the new words in sentences and these sentences should
be small, simple and of daily uses.
5. If, in the beginning, students use translation method in framing sentences, it is not bad. They
should not be discouraged. It means they think in their mother tongue and then translate into
English, however it is not bad but after some times this method should be discarded and direct
method should be applied.
6. To make the correct sentences, students should be taught structural patterns. It means they
should know which parts of speech should come first, second, third and so on. For this the
student should be given a structure and asked to frame a sentence based on the structure.

For example:

a. Subject + Verb + Object (SVO)

He reads a book.

b. Subject + Verb + adverb (SVA)

He walks slowly

c. Subject + verb + complement (SVC)

She is a beautiful girl

32
 To learn the structures takes time but it makes students perfect in writing. Unless students learn
structure, they will not be able to write correctly. Once they acquire the knowledge of parts of
speech and grammatical structure, they would start enjoying their learning of English language.

4.2 The students' Problems

In the class-room students become bore and do not take interest in learning language due the
following reasons:

1. They do not know the basics of the language taught.

2. They do not have sufficient vocabulary power to express themselves in English.

3. They do not know enough of the grammatical structural pattern.

Because of all the above-mentioned reasons students feel shy or reluctant in learning the
language and so, gradually, lose interest in the language. Therefore, it is the or reluctant duty of an
EFL teacher to create interest among his students to learn the language. The teacher can easily
achieve his goal by enriching students' vocabulary power, teaching them the structural patterns
and encouraging them to use new words in their sentences.

4.3 The Translation Function

Translation can have three main functions:

1. Translation can make it easier for teachers to explain the new grammatical and lexical items.
During the presentation, the use of translation is often the most economical way and in the case
of the difficult grammar or lexical items, the L1 equivalent is mostly the only way, which helps
learners understand quickly.

2. After presenting new items, it is necessary to practice them. In some cases, the translation can
be an appropriate method for practicing. However, it must never be the dominating or even
the only method. It should be accompanied by other activities, which do not use the translation.

3. The translation is also suitable for checking learners` knowledge. Teachers can either choose a
text which comprises the items they are teaching now in the class or they can make such an
exercise on their own. This can work as a feedback for both teachers and learners.

33
 There are people who advocates the value of the translation activities and on the other hand,
there is a similarly big group of those who did not see any asset in the use of the translation in the
foreign language teaching. It is not easy to decide which of them is right because both groups have
got their meaningful arguments.

At the last two decades, it was paid only little attention to the translation because people
regarded it as an old-fashioned method associated mainly with the Grammar-Translation Method.
“What should have been a vital challenging discipline”, Duff writes,” had degenerated in most
schools into a pointless routine exercise, a chore, and a punishment” (Duff, 1989, p. 5). Only in
the recent years the opinions have been changing gradually and the translation has been recovering
its place in the ELT but it is still refused by many teachers or it is used only for testing. But there
are, of course, people who are able to see a certain potential in applying the translation activities
to the English language classroom. In order to make a complete notion about the problem it is
necessary to compare the opinions of different linguists, both the advocates as well as the
opponents of this method.

Here is the brief overview of arguments supporting the use of the translation:

• It can help learners to see the differences between the mother tongue and the target language in
structure.

• Through the translation activities students learn what is possible to express in both languages and
what their limits are.

• It saves time.

• It enriches the learners` vocabulary.

• It can be source of a creativity, adventure and excitement.

• It trains learners to work with the dictionaries.

• Students learn to understand the meaning of the word from the context.

• It is a suitable opportunity for the pair, group or even teamwork.

• Translation activities can deal with interesting and amusing topics.

• Learners are trained to communicate from and into the target language by the help of translation.
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4.4 The background of the students:

The EFL teaching is always affected by sociocultural factors. Many Arab students, attending
the EFL classes, come from the background where English is unknown. Of course, they are taught
English in their primary and secondary schools, but they are taught English only as a formality.
Teachers as well as students take EFL lightly, for the purpose of exams.

They only need marks to pass the examination and they even pass the EFL examination by
memorizing the answers without learning proper English, Consequently, they spend their valuable
years in schools without learning enough of the English language. But when they come to college
or university or take admission to professional courses like medical, nursing, computer science or
engineering, they need English language because they have to study everything in English. At this
stage English becomes problems for them. At this problematic stage only an intelligent and
competent teacher may come for their rescue. If, unfortunately, a student does not get a competent
teacher, his interest in learning English will disappear forever.

4.5 The teacher’s Activities in the Class-room:

An EFL teacher should not be afraid of handling of these students in the class-room. If he
handles these students carefully and patiently, he can achieve his goal. Actually, to teach English
to students who do not have any English is a very difficult task. The teacher who teaches such
students, has great courage and patience. In a class of 25 or 30 students, if 75% of students do
not know English or have no interest in English, the following things happen:

A. The students do not understand anything what the teacher says or teaches.
B. They lose their interest in EFL class.
C. They think that it is a waste of time. So, they may not respect the teacher.
D. They start talking among themselves and even making noise during the class.
E. Finally, the teacher is fed up and gives up teaching. It means he surrenders which is not
good for his profession.

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A teacher can overcome all these problems and handle the class successfully if he takes the
following points into consideration:

1. Forget that you are teaching a higher class.

2. Step down from your level.

3. Start teaching the students from the lower level, even from A B C D……and go to high level
step by step.

4. Teach something about the basics of English grammar and language.

5. Ask short and simple questions of what you taught them as a flash revision.

6. Encourage them to learn new words by explaining the meaning of the words or even by
translating the meaning of the words into their language, if possible.

7. Tell them to use the words in their own sentences.

4.6 The Four Skills in English Language Teaching

Language Skills When we say language teaching or language learning, we are concerned with
the four language skills. Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

The above four skills are very important and so all of them should be taught with equal emphasis.
Because they are related with one another.

We cannot say that one particular skill is more important than others. In fact, we cannot separate
them from one another. Of course, the method and the style of teaching of all the four skills are
different.

4.6.1 Teaching of Reading

To teach Reading skill for an Arab student, a teacher should apply the following methods:

A. Forget the prescribed syllabus for sometimes and teach students whatever you think
necessary for them.
B. Make them revise the alphabets of English. Teach them capital and small letters and then
simple words and the parts of speech as a flash revision.

36
 C. Dictate and encourage them to write words and enhance their vocabulary.
D. Tell them to read, first silently and then loudly, what they have written.
E. Collect all the papers from students and then distribute them among the students and tell
them to correct the paper of their class-mates.
F. Finally, collect all the papers and correct them yourself and indicate their mistakes.
G. Make them write small sentences and gradually move towards longer and complex
sentences. Apply the above-mentioned method in reading and correcting the sentences.

In this way students will be encouraged to read and write. This systematic way of teaching may
create interest in them to learn English.

4.6.2 Teaching of Writing

Teaching English Writing to EFL students is not easy. It is a challenging job. While teaching
an EFL a teacher faces a lot of problems. More than 50% of students do not know how to write
English. Most of them are unaware of the cursive writing and solve these problems, we have to
take practical approaches while teaching an EFL class. Before you start teaching of English
writing you should do the following things.:

1. Teach them how to use the right stroke while writing anything in English. Wrong strokes
make the writing slow and ugly.
2. Make them learn cursive writing. Most of Arab students do not know cursive writing.
Two or three lectures should be devoted to this task.
3. Dictate them to write sentences simple, short and then long sentences.
4. Dictate some words and tell students to use them in their own sentences.
5. Encourage them to learn more and more words with correct spelling.
6. Students should be given a lot of class-work as well as home work on writing because
practice makes the students write well.

4.6.3 Teaching of Speaking

In the process of teaching of speaking, a teacher is very important because he is a model
for his students. It is from him that students directly listen to the spoken English. Many of the
students do not find opportunity to hear English from the mouth of a native speaker.

37
It is the teacher who directly speaks to his students in English. This is the first-hand experience of
spoken English for students. So, a teacher, automatically, becomes a model for his students. What
and how he speaks becomes the final word for students. So, a teacher should really try to be a real
model for students. For this a teacher has to do something to improve his ability as an English
teacher so that he may become a really good model for his students.

Thus, we see that a teacher has double duty. One is how to teach spoken English to his students
and the other is how to improve his own speaking ability.

While teaching Spoken English, a teacher should do the following things:

1 Have confidence in his or her ability
2 Have confidence that whatever taught is good English.
3 She or he must have a spirit of self—improvement.
4 Always be ready to correct the mistakes made by your students.
5 Give special attention towards the pronunciation of the students' words.
6 Try to expose the students to other sources of spoken English. For this make them listen to
radio, tape recorder, show them CD on T.V
7 Bring other people (preferably natives) to the classroom who can speak English before the
students and discuss things with them.
8 Give a topic and tell your students to prepare a representation. Tell them to speak on the topic
one by one before the class.
9 This should be followed by a question answer session and discussion which improve the
speaking power as well as the listening ability of the students. This program should be held
twice and thrice in a week.
10 Check the students’ speed of speaking. If they are speaking slowly, it means they are lacking
confidence. Make them confident and train them to speak fast without caring any grammatical
or any other mistakes. Once they gain confidence, they will start speaking better.

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4.6.4 Teaching of Listening:
Listening is another important skill in the process of EFL. It is a controlled action. We listen
to something for meaning and to understand it.

To teach and improve listening skill of students, a teacher must do the following two things:
1. He must provide his students models of good pronunciation. Good pronunciation is very
important for learning listening skill.

2. He must make a special effort to expose his class to as many different accents as he can.

While learning listening it is necessary to listen carefully. So, make it as a habit of your students
to listen everything carefully. You may do this by repeated practice. There are also a plenty of
methods which can be used by a teacher in the class room to improve the listening power like
dictation, aural comprehension, note taking and other listening comprehension teaching aids.

The most important element in learning to listen effectively in a second or foreign language is
confidence, which comes from practice. The role of a teacher is to provide as much as positive
practice as possible by speaking to learners in English, by exposing them to a range of listening
materials in the classroom, and by encouraging them to use whatever resources are available in
their institution or community such as FM radios and other satellite channels particularly choosing
subjects that they are interested in.

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 Conclusion

English as a Foreign language (EFL) teaching is still a subject under research and continues to
be one of the most frequently discussed topics among linguists, methodologists and teachers.
However, the present study showed that there are many different activities that are useful
pedagogical tools used.
When introduced purposefully and imaginatively into language learning programmer,
translation becomes a suitable language practice method for many students. When integrated into
daily classroom activities translation can help students develop and improve reading, speaking,
writing skills, grammar and vocabulary in EFL.
Translation in foreign language classes enhances better understanding of structures of the two
languages and also strengthens students' language different skills. It is an effective, valid tool in
the foreign language learning and can be used in the university classroom to improve knowledge
in English. Still, translation should not be overused and should be integrated into language teaching
at the right time and with the right students in right situations.
The use of mother tongue has been banned subject for a long time because the predominant use
of the target language has long been considered an important principle of second language (L2)
learning. Accordingly, the teacher appears to be the primary source of language input and therefore
responsible for maximizing its use in the classroom.
So, avoidance of the L1 was associated with good teaching when using the Direct method. The
judgment on a foreign language teacher's quality often is related to his/her ability to teach the
whole class in the target language.
On one hand the learners` first language is seen by many teachers as a hindrance to EFL
Teaching. But, there is a completely opposite way as well. Some teachers conversely overuse the
mother tongue in their lessons and left only tiny space for communication in the target language.
Apparently both groups are wrong.
The experience of many mentors proves that the L1 can sometimes be really helpful during the
lesson but everyone must realize that it should serves only as a supporting tool in situations when
the L2 communication has failed but the target language has to be still the prevailing language in
the lesson. Therefore, it is necessary to find effective methods how to make learners use the target
language as much as possible.
The related study showed that recently the idea of EFL teaching using one method, arguing that
its nonrandom integration into language instruction may lead to an array of benefits. The findings
of the present study have demonstrated that teachers are aware of its possible gains, and it is likely
that the more experienced they get in their profession, the more inclined they become to employ it
systematically in their language instruction.

40
 The study is seen to provide support for some of the previously-conducted researches and it
aimed at exploring the practices and perceptions of university teachers as well.
However, the experiences may give the hint that its use in the realm of language teaching could
serve as an auxiliary tool for not only teachers but also students. In pedagogic terms, it is ironic to
teach foreign language without reference to the students’ mother tongue and, their mother culture.
The decision to use the L1 reflects a variety of factors and multiple goals.
The questions of “when and where the L1 should be used, how much it is to be used and whether
the use of L1 is a hindrance or aid in L2 acquisition” cannot adequately be answered without
reference to sociological, psychological, pedagogic and linguistic dimensions of the issue.
The quantity of L1 use and the way it is used is inseparably linked to the underlying function
or purpose of the program and the teacher. Language acquisition may not be only objective. In
some cases, extensive L1 use may be a better pedagogic or linguistic choice. What teachers need
to know is that they should not tend to allow its use all the time as it may turn to an unbreakable
habit interfering with the target language.
It is wise for them to assign a kind of role which is normal on the grounds of costs and benefits.
Being in better position in all cases, teachers should critically analyze their own context and make
well-informed, realistic decisions about the use of the L1.

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