Second Language Vocabulary Learning: The Role of Context versus Translations as a Function of Proficiency

A widespread view of vocabulary learning is that it is advisable to make the shift away from learning words with their translations and to rely on second language (L2) context as soon as possible. Such faith in context learning has not always received experimental support, however, nor is it commonly shared by L2 learners. An experiment in which subjects were tested on their recall of newly learned words was conducted to determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of both context learning and translation learning as a function of learner proficiency. Results reveal a superiority of translation learning in terms of quantity, but an inability on the part of weaker learners to transfer their knowledge into L2 contexts. The possible reasons for this are discussed, and it is suggested that alternative learning strategies that combine the advantages of the two techniques should be explored.