VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
TRẦN THỊ VÂN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF TRANSLATION
METHOD IN VOCABULARY TEACHING AND LEARNING AT
TRAN NHAN TONG HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI

(Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng phương pháp dịch trong hoạt động dạy và
học từ vựng của giáo viên và học sinh trường THPT
Trần Nhân Tông, Hà Nội)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10



Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: Phạm Thị Thanh Thủy, M.A HANOI, 2013
iv

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1
Teachers‟ responses to the use of Vietnamese to explain new
words.
Table 2
Proportion of periods that teachers use translation exercises the
most.
Table 3
Aspects of vocabulary teachers pay the most attention to.
Table 4
Reasons for using translation exercises.
Table 5
Teachers‟ frequency of using Vietnamese to explain words‟
meaning
Table 6
Frequency of translating sentences which are not in context.

Abstract iii
List of charts and figures iv
Table of contents v

Part A: INTRODUCTION 1
1 Introduction 1
2 Aims of the study 2
3 Research questions 2
4 Scope of the study 2
5 Chapter summary 2
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: Literature review 3
1.1 Vocabulary 3
1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary 3
1.1.2 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 3
1.1.3 What should be taught in vocabulary 4
1.1.4 Explicit and incidental vocabulary learning 6
1.2 Translation Method
1.2.1. Translation Method in second language teaching 7
1.2.2. The influences of the first language on the second language 8
1.2.3. The use of translation to facilitate vocabulary teaching 11
1.2.4 Empirical studies of Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and 12
learning
1.3 Chapter summary 15
Chapter 2: Methodology 16
2.1 The design of the study 16
vi

2.2 Participants 16
2.3 The instruments 17

using the translation method in recalling the meaning and retention of the words with
elementary level ESL. Their results indicated that the translation method through
using the first language was more effective than the non-translation method in
enhancing ESL learners‟ vocabulary learning ability, and it could improve
elementary ESL learner‟s ability to recall the meaning of the word learnt. Auer Bach
(1993) claims that the use of the learner‟s L1 in the L2 classroom will have a positive
effect on learners‟ second language learning, especially in the area of vocabulary.
However, due to the continuously increasing demand for communication purposes,
nowadays many teachers feel interested in using Communicative Approach to teach
vocabulary, in which the implicit approach is used to teach students vocabulary by
emphasizing on guessing the meaning of the word by looking at the context where
the words are located or using visual aids to teach new words. Then the teachers
refuse to apply Translation Method, which mainly uses explicit instructions to
directly teach students vocabulary. Personally, the researcher is interested in the
findings of many researchers including Nation (2001) and Kroll and Curley (1988)
that new second language words are stored more effectively in the brain when they
are linked to their first language equivalents. So the author of this research make an
investigation into a concrete case (at Tran Nhan Tong High School) to find out the
2

answer for the question about the real situation of using Translation Method in
vocabulary teaching and learning at high school at the present.
2. Aims of the study
As it was stated before, there are a number of reasons for teachers to reject using
Translation Method in their teaching despite the fact that many researchers did
studies and found out that this method had positive effect on students‟ vocabulary
acquisition. Therefore, the author did this research to investigate the real situation of
applying Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning of teachers and
students at Tran Nhan Tong High School. The researcher would like to know whether
they are applying this Method to their teaching and learning or not, and if Translation

we teach in the foreign language.” It was also accepted that “a new item of
vocabulary may be more than a single word: for example, post office and mother-in-
law, which are made up of two or three words but express a single idea”. Added to
that, Michael Lewis (1993:89) said that vocabulary “may be individual words or full
sentences - institutionalized utterances - that convey fixed social or pragmatic
meaning within a given community". According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's
Dictionary Third Edition (2008), vocabulary is defined as “all the words which exist
in a particular language or subject” (p.1624). This definition covers vocabulary‟s
meaning on the whole. However, it is not the knowledge of words and word
meanings, vocabulary is more complex than this definition suggests. The definition
does not totally show a deep understanding about vocabulary.
In conclusion, there are many different definitions about vocabulary, but the idea that
vocabulary is the total number of words existing in a language, including single
words as well as multi-word items of which meaning cannot be deduced from the
analysis of the component words but only understood in the sentences; or in contexts,
is more favorable.
1.1.2 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
4

It is widely accepted that vocabulary is the most important language element among
pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Wilkins (1972:111) emphasizes the special
role of vocabulary in teaching and learning a language. Shafaei and Nejati (2009)
also strongly supported this idea that “vocabulary is one of the most important
objectives in teaching of foreign languages” (p. 32).
Vocabulary is important in all four language skills. In terms of speaking, it is
impossible to communicate without vocabulary. In addition, sometimes, students
have difficulties in finding the proper words to express themselves. In terms of
listening, the vocabulary errors caused confusion of the texts and difficulty in
listening comprehension. Most importantly, vocabulary plays a role in reading. It is
indicated that the lack of vocabulary is the most significant obstacle for readers, which

worth teaching. When introducing words like “to make” and “to do”, for example,
the teacher may note that both words mean, “to perform” but can be distinguished by
the words they collocate with. We often say, “to do the shopping” but never say, “to
make the shopping”.
 Aspects of meaning
Aspect of meaning consists of denotation, connotation, appropriateness and meaning
relationship.
The denotation meaning refers to or point out things, concepts. This is often the sort
of definition given in dictionaries such as "cat" denotes a small animal with soft fur,
often kept as a pet or for catching mice.
Connotation of a word is less obvious component of its meaning. This is association,
or positive and negative feelings the word evokes which may not be indicated in a
dictionary definition. Connotation includes stylistic, affective, evaluation,
intensifying value, pragmatic communicative values, the word acquires by virtue of
where, when, how and by whom, for what purpose and in what context it is or it may
be used.
Appropriateness is more subtle aspect of meaning that indicates whether a particular
item is appropriate one to use in a certain context or not. Thus, it is useful for a
learner to know whether a certain word is very common, or relatively rare or taboo in
6

a polite conversation, or tends to be used in writing but not in speech, or is more
suitable for a formal than informal discourse or belongs to a certain dialect. For
example, the word “daddy” is widely understood to be “father”, but it is only used in
informal way to show the close relationship between children and father. This word
may never be used in formal document.
 Word-formation
Word can change their shape and their grammatical value. Vocabulary items whether
one-word or multi-word can often be broken down into their components "bits".
Students need to know facts about word formation and how to use words to fit

necessary, and they should complement each other.
In conclusion, both incidental and explicit learning are necessary and they should be
used together to bring the highest effectiveness.

1.2 Translation Method in second vocabulary language teaching
1.2.1 Translation Method in language teaching
Grammar Translation Method was the predominant teaching methodology from the
beginning of the nineteenth century. It was developed based on a procedure for
teaching Latin and evolved out of the need to standardize foreign language teaching
for children (Howatt, 1984, as cited in Schmitt, 2000). Students were given extensive
grammatical explanation in their first language, lists of bilingual vocabulary, and
some practice exercises to translate from the first language into the second language
or vice versa. In this method, the content focused more on reading and writing skills.
Vocabulary was only used as a way of illustrating grammar rules (Zimmerman, 1997,
as cited in Schmitt, 2000). Students were expected to learn new vocabulary
themselves by using bilingual word lists; thus, the bilingual dictionaries became an
important reference tool. Steinberg and Sciarini (2006) stated that the Grammar-
Translation Method “has enjoyed and continues to enjoy acceptance in many
countries around the world,” especially in countries where language teachers are not
fluent and the classes are very large (p. 114).
8

Despite its advantages, there are many problems associated with the Grammar-
Translation Method. One of the main problems with Grammar- Translation Method
was that it focused on language analysis instead of language use. It also focused on
reading and writing skills which did not help to develop the ability to communicate
orally in the target language (Schmitt, 2000). Therefore, this method aims at
providing students with a detailed literary vocabulary which is learned through long
lists of translated items and a bilingual dictionary and practiced through sentence
translation with little opportunity to try out pronunciation (Rivers, 1981:28-30).

Atkinson (1987) not only acknowledges the positive role of the mother tongue in the
classroom, but also identifies the following uses of it: eliciting language, checking
comprehension, giving instructions, enhancing co-operation among learners,
promoting discussions of classroom methodology, improving presentation and
reinforcement of language, checking for sense testing, and development of useful
learning strategies. The following are several reasons why the first languages should
be used as a tool in the language classroom:

 It is more natural to use the first language with others who have the same first
language.
 It is easier and more communicatively effective to use the first language.
 Using the second language can be a source of embarrassment particularly for
shy learners and those who feel they are not very proficient in the second language.
 The first language can help to move the task along by establishing a joint
understanding of the text and to manage the task.
 The first language allows learners to focus attention on vocabulary and
grammatical items or providing information and explanation about grammatical rules
and conventions.
 The first language may facilitate classroom activities, particularly for low
proficiency students and complex tasks.
10

 The first language can provide a foundation for learners on which to build the
second language structures, especially during collective activities in the classroom,
and the first language provides a sense of security and validates the learners‟ live
experiences, allowing them to express themselves.
 The first language can make learners feel more confident of using the second
language, especially when their level is low.
 Using the first language to explain, teachers can save a lot of time.
On the contrary, using the first language causes some interference errors in

first language to test or convey vocabulary is quite sufficient (Nation, 2001).
One of the greatest advantages of using learners‟ first language in vocabulary
teaching is that it provides an easier way to explain the meaning of second language
vocabulary. The use of the learners‟ first language meaning is like using a simple
synonym, while a second language definition usually involves a definition that
includes a relative clause or reduced relative clause, and reading such sentences
require greater grammatical skills.
The use of first language translation provides a useful mean of testing vocabulary,
both receptively and productively, and in recall and recognition of meaning. The
difficulties that caused by no exact corresponding between meanings in both
languages are less than the difficulties that caused by the lack of connection between
the second language definitions and the meaning they are trying to convey. As a
result, using learners‟ first language translation to establish the initial form - meaning
of the new second language words‟ form with the corresponding the first language
words which already exist in the memory is very useful (Barcroft, 2002). Moreover,
new second language words are stored more effectively in the brain when they are
linked to their first language equivalents (Kroll and Curely, 1988 , as cited in
Barcroft, 2002). Thus, using first language translation is a good method to teach
second language words as any other methods.
12

1.2.4 Empirical studies of Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning
There are numbers of researches on the effectiveness of Translation Method in
second language teaching in general, and in vocabulary teaching and learning in
particular. Haijti (1989) examined conditions in which oral translation was used as an
exercise to build vocabulary knowledge. He stated that this activity led to effective
results. According to Shamash (1990) the learners started by writing about their lives
in their first language or a mixture of their first language and English. Then they
translated the text into English with the help of bilingual tutors or learners. By this
way, learners overcome the problems of vocabulary and language confidence. The

where English is a foreign language, opportunities for naturalistic acquisition are
few, students have less chances to practice real English, therefore some activities like
translation can be beneficial for learners to reach motivation to learn new words. He
also stated that translation might, indirectly, through contributing to the learning of
vocabulary; help improve learners‟ communicative fluency. Another study is by
Ramachandran and Abdul Rahim (2004) to investigate the effectiveness of the
translation method in teaching vocabulary to elementary level English as second
language (ESL) learners. The authors sought answers to the following questions: Do
Malaysian elementary level ESL learners who learn words through translation
method recall the meaning of the words learnt more effectively and is the translation
method effective for lasting word meaning recall? The participants who participated
in this study consisted of 60 ESL learners from a secondary school in Penang,
Malaysia. Subjects who participated in this study were chosen because they met the
requirements of the study, which includes similar first language (Malay) and
elementary level ESL learners. The subjects were divided into two different groups.
One group was assigned as the control group and the other as the experimental group.
The experimental group received the translation method as the treatment; and the
control group received the non-translation method as the treatment. Three
instruments were used in the study: testing instruments, reading materials, and
teaching instruments. In order to choose the study‟s materials, the authors conducted
a preliminary test to select 20 unknown lexical items from 60 lexical items which
14

was taken from the „Word List for the English Language Program for the Secondary
Schools‟. The 45 preliminary tests was a multiple choice question format. In the test,
each of the 60 lexical items was supplied with four options which were the possible
definitions for a given lexical item. From the set of the 60 multiple choice questions,
20 lexical items which had the highest percentage of inaccurate response were chosen
to be used in the main study. In the treatment sessions, the experimental group was
taught the lexical items using the translation method, while the control group was

among elementary level ESL learners. At the end, translation method seems to have
positive impact on ESL elementary learners‟ recall and retention of meaning of
vocabulary learning.
1.3 Chapter summary.
The current chapter summarizes the previous studies on Translation Method
towards second language learning and vocabulary teaching and learning in particular.
It also covers the influence of the first language to the second language acquisition.
There are different, controversial ideas on that, however; many researchers found out
that the first using translation method and the first language bring benefits to
students, especially to lower level ones. The term “word” and all issues surrounding
such as what should be taught in vocabulary, the role of vocabulary in a language,
incidental and explicit vocabulary teaching are all included.
16

Chapter 2: Methodology
This chapter consists of the design of the study; the participants; the three
instruments, namely questionnaires, interviews; observation and finally the data
collection.
2.1 The design of the study
The author chose survey research to do this study because of many reasons. First of
all, the author could gather a great number of opinions from participants. As the aim

where students were considered quite good at English and
other classes with students at elementary level. Three gifted classes were the best
English classes in the school. Three other classes were randomly selected under one
condition that these 6 classes have different English teachers. The students from
gifted class had 4 periods of English meanwhile students from other classes had 3
periods per week. The textbooks being used were the official English textbooks for
10
th
, 11
th
, 12
th
grade.
In terms of 6 volunteer teachers participating in the study, three of them were quite
young with no more than 5 year teaching experience; two of them had less than 10
year experience. There was only 1 teacher who had been teaching for 14 years in this
school. They were English teachers of those 6 classes I chose. They were helpful to
assist the author to deliver students the questionnaire and get their answers

2.3 The instruments
2.3.1 Survey questionnaires
There are 8 different questions in each questionnaire that the author delivered to six
teachers and about 200 students in their break time. The questionnaire for students
was in Vietnamese so they could clearly understand each question and respond to
them without any language barrier. All the questions designed were to seek answers
for 2 big research questions:
There are two research questions:
1. How is Translation Method applied in vocabulary teaching and learning at
Tran Nhan Tong High School?
2. How effective do teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School find

focus rather than listening and speaking lessons.
2.3.3 Interviews
The author interviewed 2 teachers and 5 students about the issues relating to
Translation Method. The interviews were conducted after the author collected the
answers for the research questionnaires. The author interviewed each participant for
about 2 minutes in the break time. There were 2 questions in each interview. (See
19

appendix 3,4). For students, the author focused on asking for the effectiveness of
Translation Method to their vocabulary learning; their thinking about using
Vietnamese and using bilingual dictionary to learn new words. The first question for
the teachers is similar to the first question of students: about the effectiveness of
Translation Method. The second sought answers for difficulties that teachers have to
deal with when applying Translation Method to teach vocabulary. Both teachers and
students‟ interviews were conducted in Vietnamese so that they can express
themselves more comfortably. The aims of the interviews were to generate in depth
information from teachers and students‟ ideas about the use of Translation Method
and its effectiveness in vocabulary teaching and learning.
2.4 Data collection
With permission from teachers, the author delivered questionnaires to them and their
students at the last 15 minutes of their periods. While respondents answered the
questions, she was there to clarify any questions that they did not understand clearly.
There were 6 teacher questionnaires and 200 student questionnaires that the
researcher delivered and collected after they finished. Then the author analyzed
questionnaires, conducted interviews with 2 teachers and 5 students to get deeper
information. The author used checklists and written notes when observing 8 classes,
in detail: 2 periods of reading, writing, language focus and 1 period of speaking and
listening.
2.5 Chapter summary.
This chapter includes the design, description of participants, research instruments and

Sometimes
1
17%
Seldom
0
0%
Never
0
0%

Table 1: Teachers’ responses to the use of Vietnamese to explain new words.
This table indicates that 5 out of 6 teachers often use Vietnamese to explain the
meaning of new words. The number 83% is much greater than that of teachers who
sometimes or seldom or never use Vietnamese for new word explanation. There is
not a teacher who always uses Vietnamese to explain new words‟ meaning; it means
that they sometimes apply other techniques to help students understand the meaning
besides using Vietnamese. However the number of teachers who often uses
Vietnamese in these cases still outnumbers. According to the table, 100% of the
teachers refuse the choices “seldom” and “never”. Therefore, it can be concluded that