ABSTRACT
Experts are often dogmatic about the topic of using the target language in the classroom. The prevailing ideal seems to be that teachers should move towards the almost total use of the target language while they are with their pupils. The example of teachers of English as a foreign language (TEFL) is often cited. TEFL textbooks and lessons are usually totally in English, no matter what the audience. The analogy is, however, not a fair one. It is more realistic to make comparisons with the teaching of French in Germany, the teaching of English in Italian state schools or the teaching of Spanish in Denmark. In these cases, language teachers from the UK will find many areas of comparison. Teaching languages in the state education system cannot easily be compared to private language-school settings in which English is taught to learners from overseas.
