Post 3

In my classes at the Intensive English Program where I work, I've learned a lot about teaching students about plagiarism.  It is interesting to how different cultures view copying texts.  For some, it is a sign of respect.  Students often use translation software and do word-for-word translations from the L1 to the L2.  Some students think this is a quick, easy, fail-safe way to do their homework!  However, translation software is not very sophisticated.  The text we are reading in my CALL class--Technology in the L2 Curriculum by Stayc DuBravac--has an easy and simple activity to demonstrate to students why translation technology often doesn't work.  DuBravac suggests taking a phrase from the L1, putting it into the translation software to translate into the L2.  Discuss the results with students.  Does the translation make sense in the L2 (for our purposes I will use English as the L2 example)?  Then, have them put the translated phrase back into the translator in English, and have them translate it back into the L1.  Is it the same, or did the words or meaning change?  This appears to be a good way to show students that translation software does not work very well.

I really liked this suggested activity because it has a specific purpose, is easy to implement in the classroom, allows students to use things like their smart phones in the classroom (so they don't feel like they're being deprived), and can be used as a jumping off point to discuss language features.  I wish I had known about it last semester!

This is so simple, that even a technophobe teacher like myself can easily adapt it to the classroom, and since the technology is common and familiar, it takes little time to educate oneself about how it operates.