Using google translate in EFL drafts: a preliminary investigation

Abstract

This study investigates the impact on extemporaneous English-language first drafts by using Google Translate (GT) in three different tasks assigned to Chinese sophomore, junior, and senior students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) majoring in English. Students wrote first in Chinese (Step 1), then drafted corresponding texts in English (Step 2), and translated the Chinese into English using the 2016 GT version (Step 3), and finally compared their self-written (SW) English texts drafted in Step 2 and their GT English texts translated from the Chinese texts in Step 3. Both English drafts were analyzed using two types of online computational assessments to compare and evaluate grammatical components of writing quality and lexical features. Results indicate that the GT English texts presented a number of components of significantly higher writing quality than those of students’ SW texts, by having more words, fewer mistakes in spelling and grammar, and fewer errors per words. In addition, there were more advanced-level words in the students’ GT texts than in their SW ones. A follow-up questionnaire survey indicated that EFL students found satisfaction with using Google Translate in their English writing, especially in finding vocabulary items and enhancing the completion of English writing.

Keywords:

• English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
• Google Translate
• writing
• machine translation
• computerized writing assessment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan, ROC, under Grant MOST [106-2410-H-151-012].

Notes on contributors

Shu-Chiao Tsai

Shu-Chiao Tsai received the PhD degree in material sciences from Paris-Sud (XI) University in 1996. After having worked in an optoelectronics company as marketing and technical administrator for several years, I am currently Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences and a professor with the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Taiwan. For the past few years, I have focused on the development of technical and commercial ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courseware and its application in the classroom to help university students and adult learners augment language skills and knowledge applicable to the job market in Taiwan.