From Disrupted Classrooms to Human-Machine Collaboration? The Pocket Calculator, Google Translate, and the Future of Language Education

Abstract

This article argues that consumer-oriented machine translation software applications are disrupting foreign language education. In order to mitigate this impact, the article provides guidance on how to transform teachers’ perceptions of online translators. This process is a critical precondition for the gradual and thoughtful implementation of online translators in the foreign language classroom. The first part of the articles will define the concept of disruption and use the pocket calculator as an historical example to illustrate challenges and solutions for an educational setting that was fundamentally impacted by a new technology. The second part will turn to the present and focus on the impact of online translators not only on ways humans communicate across languages in authentic real-world settings, but also on the foreign langauge classroom. In the third part, we will argue that a careful recalibration of educational objectives that will have to include the students’ ability to engage effectively in tasks that rely on human-machine collaboration will provide an opportunity to integrate online translators and related technologies into foreign language curricula. To this end, we propose that future generations of language learners need to develop specific competencies that will qualify them to effectively collaborate with online translators and related technologies. The conclusion will outline future leadership priorities for professional organizations and teacher training programs while acknowledging the limitations associated with the integration of the machine translation technologies into language learning environments.