Beliefs About And Use Of Mental Translation In EFL Reading:College Students’ Perspective

How to improve students’ English reading ability has attracted a great deal of attention by educators in China.Some scholars hold the opinion that students should develop English thinking pattern and avoid using mental translation when reading.However,others believe that native language can help learners understand English better.College students have been learning English in Chinese environment for many years and they have their own attitudes and habits about mental translation.Through quantity and quality research methods,this study discusses four questions: 1)what are college students’ beliefs about mental translation in English reading 2)how do college students use mental translation in English reading 3)relationship between college students’ beliefs about mental translation and their actual use of it 4)differences between beliefs and use of mental translation among different English proficiency level students.141 students participated in the questionnaire survey.The data were compared and discussed by one-way ANOVA and correlation analysis.The results show that: overall,students have a positive attitude towards mental translation in English reading,while there are some differences among different level students.It also indicates a negative correlation between beliefs and use of mental translation in English reading among different level students.Meanwhile,9 students were randomly selected for the interview.The results show that students’ beliefs about mental translation are influenced by their teachers,but they decide to use it or not under different situations.Second,vocabulary holds the key to English reading comprehension.This study could provide some implications for English teachers in terms of English reading.Educators should re-examine mental translation.Teachers should teach students in accordance with their aptitude,and help them read English more efficiently.