Original2019
The Potential Use of Machine Translation Services as a Learning Tool in English Writing
－As a Theoretical Preparation－
2019 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 24-35
Details
2019 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 24-35
This research investigates the potential of current Machine Translation (MT) services as a learning tool based on Oshima (2010). Oshima (2010) tested the performances of common MT services by focusing on
various sentence structures in business and scientific texts. As a result, she suggested several potential measures for effective MT use in English writing and also possible teaching plans of English writing. This paper carries out new translation trials to evaluate the latest MT services and uses some source texts from Oshima (2010) to identify whether her suggested measures are still valid. Findings indicate that the measures can still be applied but are not straightforward and cannot be utilized by lower-level English learners working alone, which can need the assistance of an instructor. Therefore, the latest types of MT services can potentially be used as a learning tool for English writing.
