Machine Translation in the Writing Process: Pedagogy, Plagiarism, Policy, and Procedures

This chapter investigates the impact of modern Neural Machine Translation (NMT) on academic writing and academic integrity. The information provided in this chapter is sourced from empirical research and government policy that extends beyond merely identifying transgressions and threats to academic integrity. The original intended purposes of Machine Translation (MT) and how it has become a threat to academic integrity are discussed. This threat was identified to transpire in academic writing in three domains: human ability and intention, technology development, and organizational responses to change. Human factors include writing skills and experience, motivation, opportunity, awareness, pedagogy, procedures, and ignorance of policy. Technology development consists of advancements in NMT scope and accuracy. Organizational responses include professional development, training and collaboration, pedagogy, industry policies, and standardized procedures that are easy to understand and incorporate. The final section provides solutions from industry and empirical research. The overwhelming result in this chapter indicates that educators and institutions are more culpable in the threat to academic integrity that was previously understood. The chapter calls for continual professional development based on the establishment of clear, well-defined guidelines, and continued professional development based on training, accountability, and collaboration.