Vertalen In Het Vreemde-Taalonderwijs

Just like "grammar", "translation" once was a very important topic of discussion in the field of language teaching. After tens of years of a monopoly position, the influence of translation in the language teaching field started to suside in the sixties, at least in the Netherlands, where it was abolished in all secundary school exams and in many teacher training courses. However, there are signs nowadays that translation may be back in the teaching field one day. The present paper tries to examine the arguments of the various pro and contra-translation parties and to answer the question if the positions were really so diametrically opposed as they once seemed to be. It tries to distinguish between different kinds of translation. In this context, it poses the question whether the value of translation for language acquisition could depend on the proficiency level of the learner.