Machine Translation: Friend or Foe in the Language Classroom?

Abstract

Machine translation (MT) provides a seemingly accelerated alternative way to communicate in the target language (L2). A convenient service to the public, MT renders a potential disservice to language learners. In this pedagogically focused article, we show concrete and detailed examples of how language instructors can turn MT and other electronic tools such as translation memories, grammar- and spell-checkers, or mapping tools into virtual assistants to empower students to use them responsibly. Two classroom interventions, one at a large public research university on the West coast and the second one at a medium-sized public university in the Midwest, aimed to develop students’ awareness of the language learning process, while introducing them to various online tools that can help them communicate better in L2 without blindly using MT. The interventions were designed for intermediate level students. The first group of students were part of an advanced composition course who were shown limitations of MT and alternative editorial tools in L2, while the second group was part of an introductory literature course in which students were introduced to reasoning maps, such as mind, concept, and argument maps, to assist them with L2 communication. The main takeaways from these interventions were the need to readjust the students’ attitudes as much as the instructors’ mindsets if we want to make MT an ally. Shifting focus from accuracy to comprehensibility changes the stakes in L2 communication as the production of meaning becomes an exercise in student agency and leads to the satisfaction of being able to communicate spontaneously in the target language.