KOTESOL National Conference 2018
Presentation (45 minutes)
Neil Briggs, Hannam University
Machine Translation in the Classroom: Friend or Foe?
Abstract
According to Sociocultural theory, tools are commonly used to mediate the language learning process (Vygotsky, 1978). Interestingly, however, the capabilities of particular computer-based tools have begun to exceed the abilities of many language learners. For example, Neural Machine Translation (NMT) emerged in 2016, bringing with it marked improvements to the accuracy of web-based machine translation (WBMT) tools such as Google Translate. The once comedically inaccurate translation outputs suddenly became attractive even to advanced-level language learners. While these improvements undeniably make life easier for many, they give rise to concern among language teachers that students will indiscriminately trust WBMT outputs rather than engaging cognitively in the language learning process. Banning WBMT from the classroom seems to be, at best, a band-aid solution which has been criticized as being both ineffective and shortsighted (Cook, 2010; Fountain & Fountain, 2009; Steding, 2009; White & Henrich, 2013). In preparing for our students for the 21st-century workforce, there is an undeniable need for students to be taught how to analyze WBMT outputs critically and analytically.
In this presentation, a brief overview of a research paper related to WBMT conducted in the Korean university context will be provided. Attendees will then be invited to participate in a brief activity designed to demonstrate the potential benefits of WBMT in the classroom. Finally, opportunities to share personal experiences and concerns regarding the use of WBMT in the classroom will be provided.
Biographicals
Neil Briggs has taught in the Korean post-secondary context for nearly a decade. He earned a Ph.D. from Kyung Hee University in 2016. He has a broad range of research interests in the field of English language education.
See the list of Presentations at the KOTESOL 2018 National Conference
