Investigating Students Attitudes towardsthe Use of Translation in Enhancing Learners Vocabulary in EFL classrooms

Abstract

The present study is mainly attempted to investigate students’ attitudes towards the use of translation for enhancing their vocabulary in EFL classroom. It is also concerns with the use of translation as a pedagogical tool to develop learners’ proficiency in foreign language learning. The basic hypothesis that is used in this study set out that students’ attitudes towards the use of translation in foreign language classes would be a positive one. They may agree that translation helps them to build new knowledge and expand their vocabulary. The method of this research work is descriptive. That is to say, it attempts to describe two variables, the use of translation as the independent variable and its role in enhancing students’ vocabulary as the dependent variable. Moreover, the data were gathered through the use of questionnaire that administered to second year students of English Departments at Abdelhafid Boussouf University Centre of Mila and we use the interview with teachers of translation module at Abdelhafid Boussouf University Centre of Mila and at University of Mentouri-Constantine. The result of this study shows that using translation in EFL classes helps learners to build up a set of word knowledge which in turns enables them to enhance their vocabulary. On the basis of this result, the hypothesis is confirmed that students need to use translation as an efficient tool to enrich their vocabulary. This study has certainly its limitations, but its finding provides us significant implications.