Training 

Machine Translation Input

Teach students what to put into MT tools

While students in our study most often used machine translation tools to look up individual words, too little input can lead to errors. Help students to see the importance of context and how inputs into MT tools produce different results.

For example, you can show students how very similar inputs can produce very different results: 

Language instructors could also ask students to do this kind of comparative work on their own/in pairs and then discuss their findings as a whole class. Discussion questions for this kind of conversation could include: 

• What did you observe? How does the output change based on what you search?

• What happens to MT output when you include/exclude [articles, adjectives, subjects, pronouns, etc]?

• When would you want to include [articles, adjectives, subjects, pronouns, etc] in your search? Why?

• How will you use these tools in the future?

Machine Translation Output

Don't assume that all students are just copy/pasting from machine translation tools

Many students who participated in our research project displayed complex strategies for analyzing MT outputs, as the student does in the example below (For additional examples, click here.) 

Show students how to analyze the output of MT tools

Language learners need support in learning how to decipher what comes out of machine translation tools. This kind of training could include teaching students how to seek out additional context or how to triangulate the results with other sources of information. Below are some ideas on how to train learners to analyze what comes out of MT tools

• Worksheet: asks students to compare results from different online tools and to justify their choice

• Writing activity (Ryu et al, 2022): guides students to cross-reference MT results with other tools (e.g., Image searches) and to reflect on their choices

• Meta-questions (Myers & Pellet, 2022): offers a series of questions that guide students to investigate MT output in a methodical manner

(Online) Tools for Language Learning

Introduce students to a range of tools, including non-MT tools and non-online tools (e.g., their textbooks)

Many students in our research study expressed a desire for non-MT alternatives and frustration with their textbooks. In addition to teaching students how to navigate MT inputs and outputs, train students on different tools, both online tools and their textbook, that can compliment MT tools and each other. 

This kind of training might include teaching students how to use an online dictionary, such as Word Reference. Here's an example activity, created by Kimberly for students of Spanish, that walks students through how to use WordReference. 

One way to help students learn how to better use their textbooks to support their writing is to include a preparation stage as part of their pre-writing tasks. For example, if the task is to write a short, descriptive paragraph about their family members in the present, preparation questions might include the following:

•  Where in your textbook can you find information on present tense verb formation?

• Where in your textbook can you find information on irregular verb conjugations in the present tense?

• Where in your textbook can you find vocabulary to talk about family members?

• Are there models in your textbook of descriptions of family members? Where?

Teach students about meta-linguistic information 

Students sometimes gravitate to tools like Google Translate because they are not yet able to parse the information provided by other tools, like Word Reference. Teaching students meta-linguistic information (e.g., "n," "adj," "vi") will help to to decipher what they look up in different tools.

For example, similar to the above example of "fly," you can create a list of words in English that can be used as a noun and a verb and have students find the correct words in the language you teach or provide a list of words in the language you teach that have the same root and ask students to identify the part of speech. Below are examples for Spanish:

Identify the verb and noun forms of the following words in Spanish:

1.     End

2.     Dance

3.     Garden

Identify the parts of speech for each of the following words:

1.     Conversar (verb)                

2.     Conversador/a (adjective)             

3.     Conversación (noun)