翻译背单词+死磕语法=学会外语？揭开语法翻译法的百年教学迷思！

【目录】

What is the Grammar translation Method?（什么是语法翻译法？）History（历史）The Grammar Translation Method theory（语法翻译法的理论）How is the Grammar Translation Method implemented in the classroom?（语法翻译法如何在课堂中实施?）Grammar Translation Method activities（语法翻译法的教学活动）The Grammar Translation Method advantages and disAdvantages（语法翻译法的优缺点）

【本文选自】Grammar Translation Method

本文最后有语法翻译法的视频讲解。

【正文】

The Grammar Translation Method is an old method that was originally used to teach dead languages which explains why it focuses mainly on the written form at the expense of the oral form.语法翻译法是一种古老的教学方法，最初用于教授已消亡的语言，这解释了为何它主要关注书面形式而忽视口语形式。

It was designed according to the faculty psychology approach which was very popular during the 18th and 19th centuries.

该方法基于18至19世纪盛行的官能心理学理论设计。

It contended that "mental discipline was essential for strengthening the powers of the mind".

主张“心智训练对强化大脑能力至关重要”。

The way to do this was through learning the classical literature of the Greeks and Romans.

而实现这一目标的途径是学习希腊和罗马的古典文学。

Traditionally, studying a language was grounded on the principles of Greek and Latin grammar.

传统上，语言学习以希腊语和拉丁语的语法原则为基础。

During the renaissance era, Greek and Roman literature were held in high regard and Latin was taught as a language mainly for reading and writing.

文艺复兴时期，希腊和罗马文学备受推崇，拉丁语的教学主要侧重阅读和写作。

Mastering Latin grammar rules became an educational goal.

掌握拉丁语语法规则成为教育目标。

The invention of printing machines and the development of local languages around Europe increased the need for second or foreign language learning.

印刷机的发明与欧洲各地本土语言的发展，增加了对第二语言或外语学习的需求。

Grammar was central in language teaching and language teachers adopted the Grammar Translation Method which was based on traditional Latin teaching.

语法成为语言教学的核心，教师采用基于传统拉丁语教学的语法翻译法。

The underlying principle of the method was that the target grammar should be described in the student's native language.

该方法的基本原则是：目标语言的语法应通过学生的母语进行描述。

Grammar was viewed as a set of rules that govern how sentences should be formed.

语法被视为支配句子构成的规则集合。

The GTM is based on an idealist philosophy which holds that ideas are absolute and unchanging.语法翻译法基于唯心主义哲学，认为理念是绝对且永恒不变的。

According to this doctrine, ideas make up fundamental reality and are even seen as being the only true reality.

该学说主张，理念构成根本现实，甚至被视为唯一真实的存在。

In other words, the only real things are mental entities, not physical ones.

换言之，唯一真实的事物是精神实体而非物质实体。

Likewise, truth and values are universal and unchanging.

同样，真理与价值具有普遍性和不变性。

This universal view of learning is the reason why the method insists on translating text that reflects perennial truths.

这种对学习的普遍性观点解释了为何该方法坚持翻译体现永恒真理的文本。

Latin and Greek were held in high esteem and those who could read the Greek and Latin texts were respected and given high social status.

拉丁语和希腊语享有崇高地位，能阅读希腊语和拉丁语文本的人备受尊敬并拥有较高的社会地位。

In addition, the method views language learning as consisting of memorizing a set of grammar rules and trying to understand and manipulate the morphology and syntax of the target language.

此外，该方法认为语言学习包括记忆语法规则、理解并操控目标语言的形态和句法。

Another feature of the method is that the mother tongue is maintained as the reference system in the acquisition of the second language.

另一特点是：母语作为第二语言习得的参照体系。

It is the vehicle of language teaching.

它是语言教学的媒介。

How Is The Grammar Translation Method Implemented In The Classroom?语法翻译法如何在课堂中实施?Using of mother tongue to teach the target language.（使用母语教授目标语言。）Grammar is taught deductively.（采用演绎法教授语法。）Memorizing vocabulary items that are taught in the form of word lists.（记忆以单词表形式教授的词汇。）Memorizing grammar rules.（背诵语法规则。）Elaborate explicit teaching of grammar.（详尽明确的语法教学。）Focusing on morphology and syntax.（侧重形态学和句法。）Focusing on reading and writing.（注重阅读与写作。）Reading of difficult texts early in the course.（在课程初期阅读高难度文本。）The practice focuses on exercises in which students translate sentences or texts from their mother tongue to the target language and vice versa.（练习内容为将句子或文本从母语翻译至目标语言，或反之。）

It is surprising to see that the Grammar Translation Method is still in use in some classrooms. Maybe, it's because it has some advantages.

令人惊讶的是，语法翻译法至今仍被部分课堂使用，或许因其具备某些优势。

The method may be still implemented in today's classrooms. Depending on whether your school tolerates the use of L1 (i.e., the student's first language), you may adapt the method accordingly. Assuming that you are a bilingual teacher, here are some activities that you might try:

该方法可能仍适用于当今课堂。根据学校是否允许使用母语（即学生第一语言），教师可相应调整。假设你是一名双语教师，以下是一些可尝试的活动：

Ask your students to memorize a rule and apply it to their own sentences.（要求学生背诵规则并应用于造句。）Invite students to memorize a short list of words each day in English and give their native language equivalent.（让学生每日记忆少量英语单词并写出母语对应词。）Ask your students to pick five vocabulary words they like from a text and then translate them into their mother tongue.（让学生从文本中选取五个词汇并翻译成母语。）Ask the students to translate different language functions (e.g., inviting, making requests; offering help, asking for clarification, etc.) from their mother tongue to English.（让学生将不同语言功能，如邀请、请求、提供帮助、寻求澄清等，从母语翻译成英语。）Ask students to identify a certain part of speech (e.g., verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc) from a text. Invite them to translate these words and then use a dictionary to find synonyms and antonyms.（让学生识别文本中特定词性，如动词、名词、形容词等，翻译后通过词典查找同义词和反义词。）Assign different parts of a text to different groups of students to translate. When they finish, regroup them to produce the final version of the whole text making the necessary changes.（将文本分段分配给不同小组翻译，完成后重组并修改以生成完整译文。）Ask students to translate their favorite quotes, jokes, idioms, or poems from their mother tongue to English or vice-versa.（让学生翻译喜爱的名言、笑话、习语或诗歌，母语与英语互译。）Ask students to use Google Translate or any other translation application to translate texts and see to what extent the translation was good, making the necessary changes to improve it.（让学生使用谷歌翻译等工具翻译文本，评估翻译质量并改进。）Ask your students to create a blog with different categories (e.g. poems, quotes, idioms, etc.) to publish their translations.（指导学生创建博客，如诗歌、名言、习语等分类，发布翻译作品。）Translation is the easiest and shortest way of explaining the meaning of words and phrases.（翻译是解释词义和短语的最简捷方式。）Learners have no difficulties understanding the lesson as it is carried out in the mother tongue.（因全程使用母语教学，学生理解课程无困难。）It is a labor-saving method as the teacher carries out everything in the mother tongue.（这是一种省力的方法，教师完全通过母语授课。）Language learning does not consist of only memorizing a set of rules and manipulating the syntax and morphology of the target language.（语言学习不仅包含记忆规则和操控目标语言的句法形态。）The translation of sentences or texts can be sometimes misleading.（句子或文本的翻译有时会产生误导。）What the method is good at is "teaching about the language", not "teaching the language".（该方法擅长"教授语言知识"而非"教授语言本身"。）The method focuses on grammar at the level of each sentence, that is, the well-formedness of sentences according to prescriptive grammarians. Actual data suggest that sentence-level grammar does not account for many instances of real communication.（聚焦于句子层面的语法规范性，但实际数据显示，真实交际中许多情况无法通过单句语法解释。）Speaking or any kind of spontaneous creative output was missing from the curriculum.（课程缺失口语或任何自发性创意输出训练。）Students lacked an active role in the classroom.（学生在课堂中缺乏主动角色。）The main focus is on reading and writing at the expense of the speaking and listening skills.（过度侧重读写技能，忽视听说能力。）Very little attention is paid to real communication.（极少关注真实交际。）Very little attention is paid to motivating content.（极少关注激发学习兴趣的内容。）Some sentences can be perfectly grammatical, but they may convey no meaning at all. Chomsky's (1957) example - 'colorless green ideas sleep furiously' - exemplifies this perfectly well. Although this sentence is grammatical, it is nonsensical.（某些句子语法完全正确却无意义。例如乔姆斯基（1957）的例句"无色的绿色想法愤怒地沉睡"——虽符合语法，但毫无意义。）Grammar is not absolute and fixed. Grammar rules may change not only diachronically through historical linguistic evolution but also synchronically, through dialectal variations.（语法并非绝对固定，其规则可能随历史语言演变（历时性）或方言差异（共时性）而变化。）

Because of all these disadvantages, teachers tried to find better ways to remedy the pitfalls of the Grammar Translation Method. The Direct Method was the answer.

正因这些缺陷，教师尝试寻找更好的方法以弥补语法翻译法的不足，直接教学法应运而生。

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