Humanising Language Teaching
Year 3; Issue 3; May 2001

1. Explain to the students that they are going to do a dictation and translation exercise. Dictate the first phrase:
   knot the tie
   
   
2. Ask them to translate the phrase into their own mother tongue. In the case of this phrase they may equally well translate " not the Thai" or "knot the tie" " not the tie" and " tie could be sartorial, relational, architectural, to do with supermarket bags or railtracks.
   
   
3. Ask them to reverse the two main items and write down
   tie the knot
   
   
4. Finally they translate the reversed phrase into their own mother tongue. Some may translate the physical meaning some people may understand the figurative meaning of " to get married".

   Ask the students to do the above 4 steps with the following phrases:

   to eye the dot
   to order a ball
   to favour a do
   to eye somebody's catch
   to promise a break
   affairs of state
   the land of the lie
   a pipe of peace
   boathouse
   to overturn
   to fire back
   one family parent
   release of feeling
   mark punctuation
   the house white
   
   
   
   
5. Group the students in threes to compare their translations of the phrases and the reserved phrases. If yours is a multi-mother tongued class let them form same mother tongue groups + a mixed group.