Machine Translation and Language Learning: Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices
摘要
Developments in the accuracy of machine translation (MT) have brought its role in language education into sharper focus. This has led to a corresponding increase in empirical studies, particularly those involving learners. Teachers, however, play a vital role in the way tools are adopted in formal education. Within this context, this chapter reports on a mixed-methods study that sought to gain deeper understanding of language teachers’ MT-related views and practices. Phase One, previously reported in a short paper (Ohashi in Intelligent CALL, granular systems, and learner data: Short papers from EUROCALL 2022. Research-publishing.net, 2022), was conducted through an online survey with 153 university-level foreign language teachers in Japan. Phase Two involved semi-structured follow-up interviews with 24 participants. This chapter draws together key elements from both phases to provide insights into teachers’ use of MT in personal and course-based contexts, their evaluation of it as users and educators, and their reflections on their MT skills and training needs. The vast majority had used MT for personal use within a year of the survey and their experiences and attitudes tended to be positive. Course-based use was generally more restricted and provoked a wider range of optimism and concerns. The findings highlight a general lack of MT guidelines and training, with many teachers expressing the desire for more of both.