Wax and Wane of Translation in Language Teaching

Abstract

This article is set to embark on a journey into the history of language teaching with particular attention to the ebb and flow of translation as one of the most controversial element in language teaching. The ideas and statements in this article is firmly anchored in the belief that movements in language teaching is more driven by extrinsic factors such as commercialism and politicization rather than intrinsic academic ones. This article divides  the  course  of  the  history  of  language teaching, based  on  the  leading  methodology  practiced  in  each  era, into  three  phases. The first phase is the time in which Grammar-Translation Method reigned over the language schools under the Roman Empire, Renaissance and the beginning of the 19th century. The second phase is characterized by the dawn of the direct method and the dust of translation at the end of the 19^th century. The third phase, bears witness the first tentative steps toward reinstating of the role of translation in language teaching. In the end, the study tries to put the reasons causing the swift of pendulum in language teaching into perspectives and discuss their pedagogical implications.