EFL Students' Perception on the Effectiveness of Google Translate

Abstract

The emergence of Google Translate has brought a lot of influence in the field of linguistics because of its advantages and disadvantages, especially for language learners. The aims of this study are to investigate the frequency of using Google Translate and opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of this tool for the English learning process of students at Can Tho University in order to determine why students use this tool to study English. The data and analysis of the study are based on research papers and a survey of 100 students at Can Tho University. According to research results, most students regularly use Google Translate in the process of learning English. At the same time, they also found that Google Translate has both a negative effect and a positive effect on the English learning process. Besides, although the students are clear about the disadvantages of Google Translate, they still choose to use this tool to support their English learning because of the advantages in learning vocabulary, reading, writing, and translation, the free and easy-to-use property. The above advantages are also the reasons why students choose to use Google Translate in learning English.