Author(s): Anwar Benmoqadem, Houda Bouabdellah

Abstract: The pedagogical validity of translation in EFL teaching has been contested since the emergence of the Direct Method, causing its marginalisation in mainstream language education. This article investigates some of the main arguments that led to the exclusion of translation in EFL pedagogies. Typically, it questions the assumption that translation is exclusively useful in the training of professional translators. It also examines the extent to which translation contributes to the development of the language learners’ linguistic and metalinguistic competencies, as well as its ability to facilitate cross-cultural understanding. To address those issues, this study adopts a quantitative research design and draws on data collected through a questionnaire administered to Moroccan CPGE teachers of English, eliciting their perceptions and reported practices regarding the use of translation in EFL teaching. The statistical analysis of the responses suggests that translation is perceived as helpful in the development of the learners’ linguistic, metalinguistic, and communicative competencies. The findings indicate that, rather than superseded, translation can be employed as a legitimate instructional practice within language education, thereby challenging its exclusion from language teaching methodologies.

Keywords: Cross-cultural understanding, Language pedagogy, Linguistic competence, Metalinguistic awareness, Moroccan CPGE, Translation in EFL.

Article Info: Received: 23 Jan 2026; Received in revised form: 22 Feb 2026; Accepted: 24 Feb 2026; Available online: 28 Feb 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.111.63