Online Translation Revisited: An Embedded Linguistic Resource in EMI?

It has now been over 10 years since the implementation of neural network-based online translation, allowing students to use English as a medium of instruction (EMI) context free and ubiquitous access to high-quality automated translation. In this time, the quality and ubiquity of the technology have increased dramatically. However, there has been little investigation into EMI students’ perceptions of this development. This study reports the outcomes of discussions with approximately 15 students in a focus group format at a Hong Kong Liberal Arts University, where students whose first language is not English discussed their use of online translation in their EMI context. Emergent themes from this discussion were: a lack of confidence in their abilities; a longer-term strategic use to reach communicative or other academic goals; reliance on the software for communicative ability; and acceptability, both social and academic. This article outlines these with examples from the groups and then goes on to suggest two pedagogic responses, which are a borrowing from translanguaging pedagogy, as well as helping students understand the difference between facilitative and substitutive use.