Use of machine translation in foreign language education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes of high school and university students towards the use of machine translation (MT) tools in foreign language learning, as well as the impact of these tools on their motivation and performance. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 106 students, with 99 valid responses, representing a diverse group of Czech and international students across different educational levels. The results reveal that Google Translate (GT) is the most popular MT tool, followed by DeepL and ChatGPT, with students primarily using these tools for reading comprehension, grammar checking and writing assistance. Despite concerns regarding overreliance on MT, 61.6% of respondents felt motivated to continue learning foreign languages, though 38.4% reported a decline in motivation. A significant challenge identified was the inability of MT tools to accurately convey cultural nuances and context, with students frequently expressing the need for clearer institutional guidelines on the allowed use of MT in educational settings. Future research should focus on the long-term impact of MT tools on language proficiency and strategies for integrating MT into the curriculum in a way that fosters both technological literacy and critical language skills. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.