TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AT UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
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Abstract
Learning a foreign language is no doubt a challenging task for non-native speakers, especially if the language is distinctively different in terms of grammar, structure and pronunciation. Learner’s beliefs have been found to greatly influence their determination and attitude towards learning the language and also the learning strategies that they use. One of the strategies commonly used in language learning is translation. Thus, the present study is mainly aimed and designed to identify students’ beliefs of using translation as a strategy in foreign language learning and also to investigate the underlying reasons as to why they think this strategy is useful for them. A total of 100 samples from Universiti Putra Malaysia were chosen to help complete this study. Data collection was carried out using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was adapted from the Inventory for Beliefs about Translation (IBT), which was originally designed and developed by Liao (2006). It consists of three parts with a total of 33 questions, including the demographic questions to ascertain the samples’ background and open ended structured questions to assess their opinions on the use of the translation strategy. The results of this study reported that the students mostly have positive beliefs about the use of translation as a learning strategy as they think it makes them understand the learning process and the language better. Although there are a small number of students that prefer to learn foreign language without the use of translation, they do not disagree with the matter of it being a useful strategy for new learners. It is hoped that the findings of this study will clarify the importance of the use of translation as a strategy in learning language and also how learner’s beliefs would influence it.
