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Thank you! Those are really interesting and valuable comments. I haven’t, in fact, heard many stories like yours, especially with such clear insights about how you have been able to use MT constructively in your language learning. Most of the discussions I’ve had about MT have focused on language learning in school contexts. In Japan and most other countries (though often not in English-speaking countries), all children have to study at least one foreign language in school. As with all compulsory education, low motivation and poor study skills are a constant problem. In such contexts, MT seems to many teachers and students just to be a way to cheat on classwork. And since very few of today’s veteran teachers were able to use MT when we were young and studying languages, we don’t understand how we can guide even our motivated students on using it productively. I will be sure to share your insights with my colleagues. A couple of comments: > More than once, while not using MT, I was told that I spoke Spanish with a "Google Translate accent", which I'm sure was more of a reference to my grammar than my accent.... This can happen with traditional methods of language learning, too. The language of textbooks, like the output of MT, usually reflects the standard written language, which can be very different from how people actually speak, especially in the case of languages with large dialect and register variations. > When I use MT, I have a simple rule, that I have to understand each word of a translation before I send it. That sounds like an excellent rule. I will pass on that advice to educators I know who are trying to figure out how to guide their students on the use of MT. Many thanks again. |