| Although the use of translation in learning a foreign language is much maligned by language teachers, students continue to use it. Even with its generally negative image, researchers into the processes involved in second language acquisition often mention the use of the native language as one of the strategies frequently reported by learners. To understand the role of translation in foreign language learning from learners' perspectives, this study investigated Taiwanese college students' beliefs about translation, their use of translation as a strategy, the relationship between their translation beliefs and strategy use, and how background variables might influence their translation beliefs and strategy use.; A total of 351 Taiwanese college students responded to survey instruments developed specifically for the study. The two major questionnaires, the Inventory for Beliefs about Translation (IBT) and the Inventory for Translation as a Learning Strategy (ITLS), assessed students' opinions on various issues related to the role of translation in their English learning process. To triangulate questionnaire data and to provide more information about students' learning experiences and learning context, interviews were conducted with ten students chosen on the basis of whether their grades in English indicated that they were successful or less successful students.; Data analysis of the questionnaires involved descriptive statistics, factor analysis, canonical correlation analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance. The major findings suggested the following: (1) learners had conflicted beliefs about translation, resulting from their different understandings of both the positive and negative effects of using translation, (2) learners used a wide variety of strategies involving translation, including cognitive, memory, compensation, social, and affective strategies, (3) learners' beliefs about translation generally affected translation strategies they chose to use, and (4) foreign language majors and more proficient learners tended to report less of a use of translation.; The results of this study may provide language teachers a different view into the role of translation in students' language learning process, one that departs from the commonly held, negative view of translation. The field of foreign language teaching may also benefit from insights into students' beliefs and their use of translation as a strategy to learn English. |
