A talk for language educators and researchers
KIMBERLY VINALL
Executive Director, Berkeley Language Center
University of California, Berkeley
EMILY HELLMICH
Associate Director, Berkeley Language Center
University of California, Berkeley
About the talk
Google Translate and other machine translation platforms can be a source of tension in language learning classrooms, with many instructors likening their use to cheating, laziness, and/or impediments to learning. This talk presents the findings of a research study that complicate these assumptions and provide implications for instructional practice.
We base this talk on a computer-tracking study that used screen recording and retrospective interviews to observe and understand how 74 world language learners (French, Spanish, Mandarin) actually used machine translation platforms while writing. While students across languages used machine translation tools extensively, their usage went far beyond “copy paste” to include complex analysis strategies. After presenting our findings, we suggest different approaches for language instructors and programs on how to address machine translation in the language classroom.
About the speakers
Emily Hellmich, PhD, University of California, Berkeley, is the Associate Director of the Berkeley Language Center. Her research focuses on the impacts of digital technologies on language, language use, and language education, with publications in the fields of education, applied linguistics, SLA, and technology-enhanced language learning.
Kimberly Vinall, PhD, University of California, Berkeley, is the Executive Director of the UC Berkeley Language Center. Her work explores how learners engage with cultural / linguistic differences through critical pedagogy, literary texts, and digital tools in order to consider the impact of this engagement on identity constructions, pedagogical materials and practices, and the development of intercultural understandings. She has published in the fields of applied linguistics, CALL, and SLA.
Sponsors: Language Institute, with the Second Language Acquisition PhD Program
Funding: Anonymous Fund, International Division
Contact: Jana Martin
The UW-Madison Language Institute is committed to inclusive and accessible programming. To request an accommodation for this event, please contact Language Institute associate director Jana Martin three business days in advance.