Perceptions of EFL Students Regarding the Use of Machine Translation Tools in Learning English

Abstract

The present study seeks to explore how English as a foreign language (EFL) learner perceive the use of machine translation (MT) for translating words or texts into English. The research type is qualitative descriptive, and the respondents are 13 students who use this technology. Data were collected from machine-supported translation quality assessment and student questionnaires implemented in translation courses. The findings of the research revealed that EFL learners at the university should reconsider and reorganize translation for better results based on their understanding. Machine translation tools are yet another alternative for meaning-making in a foreign language. This MT can also be utilized as a dictionary. Automatic translation is helpful and makes it very easy, as it gives the general meaning of the words. However, students also acknowledge that although machine translation facilitates and expedites their translation tasks, the output is not always accurate in terms of contextual appropriateness and grammatical precision. Overall, despite certain limitations, machine translation remains a highly beneficial tool in language learning and continues to serve as an effective resource for enhancing vocabulary acquisition and supporting comprehension in second language learning contexts.

Keywords: EFL; Machine Translation; Translation Accuracy; Vocabulary learning; student perception