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Disadvantages of grammar translation method
The drawbacks of the Grammar Translation Method are as under:
- This method does not emphasize speaking. It completely ignores the practice of oral work which is the basic skill of learning any language.
- This method fails to teach correct articulation, intonation and pronunciation.
- This method develops the habit of translation. To quote champion, “As a general method of composition, the fundamental weakness of translations is that it prevents or retards the pupil from thinking in English.”
- Doing translations all the time, this method wastes a lot of time for students.
- Translation hinders the students from thinking freely in the English language.
This method encourages word-to-word translation (literal translation) but this translation work is always approximate. Sometimes literal translation becomes ridiculous. It not only leads to errors but blunders in translations. - This method neglects silent reading, model reading and rapid reading.
- This method tries to teach English by grammatical rules and ‘not by use. This is not very sound in teaching the learning of language.
- It is a dull and uninteresting method, the students being passive listeners busy cramming and mimicry all the time.
- This method does not even test the pupils correctly at the examinations because all the basic and necessary skills are never taught completely and hence never tested even.
