The potential of bilingualism in teaching foreign languages in universities

Problem. Psycholinguistic studies of recent years point to the need to rethink the meaning of bilingualism for learning foreign languages, since the common assumption that learning only a foreign language is the most effective way to master another language is not supported by any data. There are studies in which, on the one hand, such an approach is increasingly criticized, on the other hand, alternative approaches based on the idea of bilingualism are proposed. Goal. To trace the evolution of views on the use of the mother tongue during foreign language learning, to identify the advantages of bilingualism, to characterize some methods of using the mother tongue in foreign language training of students, to describe the experience of using parallel translation while teaching English to university students. Methodology. Learning a foreign language is effective only under the condition of comprehensible input material, without which productive output is impossible. Hence there is the growing interest in educational bilingualism, which is considered as the functioning of two linguistic and cultural codes in the mind of an individual. Teachers of foreign languages should have at their disposal proven methods of rational use of bilingualism and the possibility to choose which of them will contribute to the achievement of educational goals in a specific audience and its cultural context. Translation plays a crucial role in the process of understanding another language. An example of using translation into a mother tongue is a parallel text as a text in one language together with its translation into another language. The design of grammar and vocabulary courses using parallel translation, in which the vocabulary to the texts and the texts themselves were placed on the screen in parallel with the translation and then voiced, proves its convenience and effectiveness in learning the language in a distance format. Results. Own videos were developed for teaching grammar, as well as for mastering vocabulary of a socio-cultural nature. Students could work with the videos at a pace convenient for them, listen to them as many times as they needed in order to feel confident at the lesson. During the class, students performed grammatical and lexical tasks based on the material acquired on their own and were ready for a discussion on various problems of an applied and evaluative nature. Originality. Parallel translation was widely used in the design of the videos. The vocabulary of the texts and the texts themselves were placed on the screen in parallel with the translation. The material was voiced by the speaker, worked out by the students using the drilling method with subsequent use in exercises of a productive nature. Practical value. The design of the courses using parallel translation proves its convenience and effectiveness in learning the language in a distance format. The videos are posted on the YouTube platform and are available for listening at any time and in any place.