 KSENJA FERRO
DOI:
Abstract
The use of translation in English Language Teaching (ELT) has long been a topic of considerable controversy. Despite the popularity translation gained through its association with the Grammar-Translation Method, the nineteenth century saw its gradual FGJH 56 12 / 2025 removal from language teaching curricula. The role of translation in ELT could therefore be described as a pendulum, swinging from one extreme to the other. Indeed, once used excessively, it later disappeared from the teaching process altogether. However, this study advocates for the principle of the ‘golden mean’, which in this context implies a balanced approach to the use of translation in teaching whenever it is deemed pedagogically necessary. In particular, the study focuses on how translation can help students identify and avoid errors caused by linguistic interference. This contrastive study reveals that Albanian students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) produce lexical and grammatical interference errors that often remain unnoticed unless their knowledge is assessed through translation exercises. The study also presents students’ attitudes toward the use of translation as a tool for error correction. Data were collected through a translation exercise and a questionnaire. The results indicate both a pedagogical necessity and a clear student preference for the integration into the teaching process, suggesting that its exclusion deprives learners of a helpful instructional tool.
Keywords: Albanian, English, interference errors, teaching, translation