University students’ experiences and perceptions of using machine translators in a general English class

This study is a case study that investigated the experiences and perceptions of college students after having them use machine translators in a general English class. In this study, university students were allowed to freely use machine translators in listening and speaking classes for one semester, and their experiences and perceptions were investigated using an online questionnaire. The results showed that most of the students used translators to search for unknown expressions when preparing discussions during class and writing scripts for the oral exam outside the classroom. There were only a few students who did not use the translator at all. There was a significant difference in the students’ grammar scores assessed by Grammarly depending on the degree of using the translator. About 80% of students were satisfied with the experience of using the translators in class. More than two-thirds of students agreed to use translators in class. Students actively used the translator to learn English, and the translator positively helped learners learn English. Rather than outright banning students from using translators, it may be better to teach how to use a translator so that students can use the translator properly as a learning tool to increase the learning effect.