Abstract:
The current state of knowledge of foreign language vocabulary acquisition has led language
teachers to become more aware of the wide range of factors that influence the learning of new
words. Furthermore, the negative attitude towards translation as another pedagogical means in
Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) has prevailed for much time (Cook, 2010). Nonetheless,
currently, many theorists and linguists agree on the importance of using translation activities
in foreign language teaching and underline its beneficial effects to expand vocabulary
(Schäffner, 1998). This study aimed to investigate the teachers’ and students’ perceptions
towards the use of translation tasks to improve English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’
vocabulary. To achieve this aim, a descriptive study was conducted; it was based on the
analysis of data gathered from a questionnaire devoted to 60 third year students of English at
the university and an interview designed for two teachers. Both research tools explored the
students’ and teachers’ perceptions towards the usefulness of translation in teaching
vocabulary. The results obtained from the investigation confirmed our hypothesis about the
effectiveness of using translation to enhance EFL learners’ vocabulary.
