Despite these potential pitfalls, Cook identifies several benefits of using translation in language teaching:
It disregards the learners' desire to relate the new language to their own native language.
Guy Cook's Translation in Language Teaching (2010), published by Oxford University Press Translation In Language Teaching Guy Cook Pdf
: Rather than debating "if" translation should be used, Cook shifts to how it can be used for explanation, practice, and testing. Educational Benefits
Cook addresses these in the PDF. He agrees that translation is a . It should occupy perhaps 10–20% of class time, used to highlight specific problems (e.g., false friends, syntax differences) rather than becoming the daily routine. He agrees that translation is a
Cook is not an armchair theorist. He provides numerous examples of translation activities, categorized by level and objective. Below are some of his most influential activity types, with my own elaborations:
I have lived here for ten years. Spanish: Llevo diez años viviendo aquí. (lit. “I carry ten years living here.”) Examples of Communicative Translation Activities
Translation is used as a collaborative, problem-solving task. Students work in pairs or groups to debate the best way to render a culturally nuanced text, idiom, or digital media clip from one language to another. Examples of Communicative Translation Activities