This study describes the effects and effectiveness of explicit instruction of grammar on first year translation students’ writing skills enhancing transfer and hedging interference. First year translation students in a French-medium university in Lebanon study English, the target language, as both a means and an end. While communicative teaching methodologies look down upon and heavily criticize explicit instruction, students with French as their L2 have always felt safe given grammar rules, hoping to apply them right away. In order to increasing students’ metacognitive awareness, explicit ...