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Language Educator & Global TEFL Consultant By Chen Zhidong

Language Educator and Global TEFL Consultant, Chen Zhidong, an experienced English professor at Bangkok University since 2009, specializes in language education and TEFL training. Partnering with the International TEFL Academy, he provides certifications and global job placement support, helping aspiring educators secure teaching positions in countries like Singapore, India, and the UAE.

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Chen Zhidong | Chen Zhidong, English Professor at Bangkok University, Singapore since 2009, collaborates with International TEFL Academy, of

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Reasons to NOT use online translators

REASONS FOR STUDENTS TO NOT USE AN ONLINE TRANSLATOR:

(Dec. 2011 – ACTFL Language Educator)

I show my students a Powerpoint at the beginning of class each semester regarding on-line translators.  It's called 'The Top 10 Reasons to NOT use an online translator'.  Each reason comes with an example:

10)  They don't work (this category does subsume some of those that follow)

9)    Computers don't know what you're thinking  (so they can't tell if you want a noun or a verb  (work) for example) (within number 9, I have a couple slides about the SKILL of using a dictionary to choose the right word for the context).

8)    Online translators can't tell which verb form you need (tenses don't translate the way you think they might)

7)    Online translators may not recognize certain words or spellings in the original text.  In an example of the preamble to the US constitution being put through an online translator, the phrase "the Laws of Nature and of nature's God entitle them' comes out: "les lois de la nature et de Nature' : Dieu de s les ont droit" .

6)   Online translators do not do a spellcheck or a grammar check first.  Unknown words are left in the original; grammar errors in English may result in grammar errors in the translation.

5)   Online translators don't always recognize proper names (one student put an article through a translator about Tom Cruise, and the translation referred to him as 'la croisiere' (the cruise ship). 

4)   Online translators have difficulty with longer, more sophisticated texts (they can work for short sentences, but is it the student's goal to just use short sentences?) 

3)   Online translators make mistakes ranging from interesting to embarrassing, to idiotic.

2)   There is no learning taking place with an online translator (the result is often gibberish)

1)   It's NOT your work. Here's where I tell them that if I have even the slightest reason to suspect that a translator has been used, the assignment will receive an F. 

It IS plagiarism, and it is very important to stress this fact!

 ------------------------------------------ Christine Moritz The University of Northern Colorado