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Online Translation Use in Spanish as a Foreign Language Essay Writing: Effects on Fluency, Complexity and Accuracy.
Stockholms universitet.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5225-0747
2015 (English)In: Revista Nebrija de Lingüística Aplicada, ISSN 1699-6569, Vol. 9, no 18, p. 7-24Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study examines computer-based essay writing in Spanish as a foreign language among two groups of pupils in Sweden (n=32+25, aged 17-18), one group with Internet access, one without. The article focusses on effects of online translation (OT) on writing fluency, and on grammatical and lexical complexity and accuracy. Small but statistically significant effects were found. Effects on fluency and complexity, but not accuracy, can to some extent be explained by the pupils' proficiency level, rather than by the use of OT. Pupils using OT made fewer mistakes regarding orthography and article/noun/adjective agreement, but more mistakes regarding syntax and verb morphology. This contradicts the participants' belief that OT helped them improving syntax and verb inflection. Better language proficiency is pointed out as necessary to be able to make good use of OT. Further research on longitudinal effects of OT on pupils’ learning of vocabulary and grammatical accuracy are recommended.

Abstract [es]

Este estudio examina la escritura de composiciones usando ordenadores en dos grupos (n=32+35, edades 17-18) de estudiantes suecos del español como lengua extranjera. Uno de los grupos tenía acceso libre a internet, el otro no. El artículo está enfocado en los efectos del uso de traducción automática (TA) sobre la fluidez de la escritura y sobre la complejidad y corrección gramaticales y lexicales. Algunos efectos pequeños pero estadísticamente significativos fueron encontrados. Hasta cierto punto, los efectos sobre la fluidez y la complejidad, pero no sobre la corrección, pueden ser explicados por el nivel de conocimiento del español de los estudiantes. Los estudiantes que usaron TA produjeron menos errores de ortografía y de concordancia entre artículos, sustantivos y adjetivos, pero más errores de sintaxis y de morfología verbal. Esto contradice la idea de los estudiantes de que la TA pudiera ayudarles a mejorar la sintaxis y a conjugar los verbos. Un mejor conocimiento del idioma es indicado como un prerrequisito para que la TA pueda ser competentemente usada. Se recomienda más investigación sobre efectos longitudinales sobre el aprendizaje de vocabulario y sobre la corrección gramatical.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Universidad Nebrija , 2015. Vol. 9, no 18, p. 7-24
Keywords [en]
Online translation, Foreign language writing, Spanish as a foreign language, CAF
Keywords [es]
traducción automática, escritura en lenguas extranjeras, español como lengua extranjera, CAF
National Category
Specific Languages Didactics Pedagogical Work
Research subject
Spanish; Educational Work
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-83425DOI: 10.26378/rnlael918248OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-83425DiVA, id: diva2:1537038
Available from: 2021-03-13 Created: 2021-03-13 Last updated: 2021-04-15Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Genvägar, omvägar och irrvägar: Gymnasieelevers användning av maskinöversättning under uppsatsskrivande på spanska
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Genvägar, omvägar och irrvägar: Gymnasieelevers användning av maskinöversättning under uppsatsskrivande på spanska
2021 (Swedish)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Alternative title[en]
Shortcuts, detours and dead ends : Upper secondary school pupils’ use of machine translation during essay writing in Spanish
Abstract [en]

Based on four published articles on Swedish upper secondary school pupils’ use of online resources during essay writing in Spanish L3, this thesis in educational work and Romance languages focuses, from a language education perspective, on the use of machine translation. Two of the articles observe pupils’ use of online resources in general, and of Google Translate in particular, revealing a complex weave of strategies where Swedish, Spanish, and English are used to search, change and control word sequences, simultaneously including lexical, morphological, and syntactic aspects of the languages. The other articles study the effects of machine translation on text length and on lexical, morphological, and syntactic accuracy and complexity, as compared to texts written with printed dictionaries as the only translation tool. The results point to small but statistically significant positive and negative effects on complexity and accuracy. As for effects on vocabulary, the use of machine translation is shown to increase lexical diversity as long as it remains in use, the effect, however, vanishing when the tool is no longer utilised.

In the introductory chapters of the thesis, the results from the articles are re-analysed from a Gibsonian ecological affordance perspective, focusing on the pupils’ explorative and performative interactions with the affordances of machine translation, and on the pupils’ strengths and challenges when handling the Spanish language.

The thesis contributes to a deepened understanding of the complexity of foreign language learners’ interactions with machine translation, and further points to the importance of strengthening (meta-)linguistic awareness, linguistic self-confidence, and technological know-how in foreign language education. The thesis also underscores the importance of language teachers’ taking an active part in reinforcing the above-mentioned areas, and raises key questions about the future of writing in foreign language education.

Abstract [sv]

Genvägar, omvägar och irrvägar är en avhandling om gymnasieelevers användning av maskinöversättning medan de skriver uppsatser på spanska. Avhandlingen bygger på fyra delstudier. I den första beskrivs hur elever söker språklig information på internet. Den andra delstudien granskar maskinöversättningens effekter på språklig korrekthet, komplexitet och textlängd. Den tredje studien undersöker hur användningen av maskinöversättning påverkar elevers ordförråd under ett läsår. I den fjärde studien görs en ingående beskrivning av elevers sätt att bearbeta sökresultat från Google Translate.

Delstudierna visar på komplexa strategier där elever använder sina kunskaper i svenska, spanska och engelska för att utföra handlingar där lexikala, morfologiska och syntaktiska aspekter av språket blandas. De observerade strategierna analyseras utifrån ett ekologiskt affordansperspektiv, som synliggör hur elevernas förkunskaper i fråga om både språk och teknikhantering påverkar deras möjligheter att utnyttja maskinöversättningsteknikens handlingserbjudanden. Avhandlingens resultat pekar på vikten av gedigna kunskaper i och om språket, om teknikens möjligheter, och språklärarens viktiga roll för att hjälpa eleverna att nå dessa kunskaper.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlstad: Karlstads universitet, 2021. p. 212
Series
Karlstad University Studies, ISSN 1403-8099 ; 2021:8
Series
Studia Romanica Upsaliensia, ISSN 0562-3022 ; 89
Keywords
language education, educational work, Romance languages, Spanish, machine translation, språkdidaktik, pedagogiskt arbete, romanska språk, spanska, maskinöversättning
National Category
Specific Languages Pedagogical Work Didactics
Research subject
Educational Work; Romance Languages
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-83429 (URN)978-91-7867-193-9 (ISBN)978-91-7867-203-5 (ISBN)
Public defence
2021-05-21, 9C203/Zoom, Karlstads universitet, Karlstad, 10:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Note

Artikel 4 är nu publicerad men ingick som manuskript i avhandlingen, då med titeln: "Google Translate search strategies among learners of Spanish L3: A complex lexico-morpho-syntactic weave of trial-and-error".

Available from: 2021-04-29 Created: 2021-03-13 Last updated: 2021-09-15Bibliographically approved

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