Online Machine Translation for L2 Writing Across Languages and Proficiency Levels - Study Abstract and Findings

Oct 15, 2026

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Using machine translation (MT) tools for language learning has become common among language students, shaping writing practices and classroom discussions. The study surveys 12 teachers and 150 students across five languages and three proficiency levels at a New Zealand tertiary institution. Quantitative and qualitative analyses compare MT use and perceptions by proficiency, language, and role (teachers vs. students). Results show distinct patterns between non-alphabet-based and alphabet-based languages and link advanced learners with more sophisticated, critical MT use, supporting MT literacy for effective, context-aware L2 writing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

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Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics
ISSN 2209-0959
[https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/](https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/) | | | --- | --- | --- | | Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5(3), 135–157 (2022) [https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v5n3.53si3](https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v5n3.53si3) | | | | Online Machine Translation for L2 Writing Across Languages and Proficiency Levels | | | | ANTONIE ALMa
YUKI WATANABEa
aUniversity of Otago, New Zealand [antonie.alm@otago.ac.nz](antonie.alm@otago.ac.nz); [yuki.watanabe@otago.ac.nz](yuki.watanabe@otago.ac.nz) | | | | Abstract
Using machine translation (MT) tools for language learning has become a common practice among language students in recent years. Studies have investigated how students use MT, how students and teachers perceive its benefits and drawbacks and how helpful it is for language learning. These studies indicate that students think MT tools are helpful in L2 writing due to their quick and easy access and use them in many aspects of L2 writing, such as vocabulary search, grammar checking, and writing revisions. However, concerns for the accuracy of outputs, the effectiveness of MT for language learning and academic integrity are shared among students and teachers. This present study is based on a survey of 12 teachers and 150 students across five different languages and three proficiency levels ata tertiary institution in New Zealand. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed to compare MT use and perceptions among proficiency levels and languages as well as between teachers and students. The findings reveal patterns that indicate different practices and perceptions between students of non-alphabet-based and alphabet-based languages. The analysis also demonstrates correlations between advanced-level students and more sophisticated and critical use of MT. With the proliferation of MT tools with neural machine translation (NMT) systems and improvement in their accuracy, the findings of this study contribute to the understanding of MT literacy to ensure effective and critical use of MT with an awareness of unique contexts and expectations of L2 writing in different language courses.
Keywords: machine translation, student experiences, teacher experiences, proficiency levels, language pairs | | | Copyright: © 2022 Antonie Alm, Yuki Watanabe. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within this paper. Introduction Douglas Adam’s science fiction classic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) predicted several technological advances. One of them is the Babel Fish. Described as “the oddest thing in the Universe,”the small, yellow and leech-like creature hid in people’s ears, giving them the power to “instantly understand anything said to [them] in any form of language”(p. 51) . Common to many science fiction works, the idea of a universal translator has long fascinated humankind. However, when language students discovered two decades later an online translator of the same name, language teachers reacted with dismay and were quick to point out the limitations of machine translation engines. Luton (2003), for example, commented,“they cannot recognize idioms and tend to translate them word for word, producing nonsensical, if sometimes hilarious, results”(p. 767) . Clearly, Altavista Babel Fish did not match the sophistication of its literary namesake. The main concern from a teacher’s perspective, however, seemed to be about its inappropriateness and inadequacy for language education, providing learners with “an easy way to dodge out of doing any work for an assignment and, in so doing, to avoid learning how to write in the targe

FAQs

How do language students typically use machine translation in L2 writing?

Students use MT tools to support L2 writing through fast, easy access for tasks such as vocabulary search, grammar checking, and writing revisions.

What concerns do teachers and students share about machine translation?

Shared concerns include output accuracy, the effectiveness of MT for language learning, and academic integrity.

What main differences does the study report across languages and proficiency levels?

The findings identify different practices and perceptions between non-alphabet-based and alphabet-based language students, and they also show correlations between advanced-level students and more sophisticated, critical MT use.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Franzy