An overview of translation in language teaching methods: implications for EFL in secondary education in the region of Murcia

Abstract

Various activities and resources have been used across time to promote and enhance the learning of foreign languages. Among these, translation has been cherished or dismissed depending on the preferred teaching method at each period. With the arrival of the Communicative approach, which focuses on communicative competence, its role has apparently become even more unstable. This article seeks to explore the role of translation in the main teaching methods used in Spain since the late 19th century up to the present time. This will in turn serve as the background against which the current educational scenario (with the Communicative approach and the tenets of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) will be measured with a view to ascertaining the role that translation may currently play. The particular situation of Secondary Education in the Region of Murcia will be discussed in the light of the curricula for this stage.