STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF GOOGLE TRANSLATE FOR ACADEMIC ASSIGNMENT PURPOSE

Abstract

Translation is a process to transfer the meaning of the source language to the equivalent of target-language text. The process of transition itself is divided into manual translation and machine translation. One of the most commonly known example of machine translation is Google Translate. Depending on how students percept Google Translate, will affect their attitude and action toward it. University of Muhammadiyah Banjarmasin (UMB) first semester students’ are selected as sources of data for this study.  This study aims to investigate UMB students’ perception of Google Translate. The data obtained from research can be taken into a consideration in designing English classes.

The quantitative descriptive method is used as the research method for this study. Data collection is conducted twice before and after information sharing where students receive information on how to properly use Google Translate. This process is divided into two sections to further enhance the data needed for this study. Information sharing is necessary to investigate those who have yet to know Google Translate. The necessary data for this research is from those who are aware of Google Translate. While both data are calculated, the data after information sharing is the only necessary data for this study.

In conclusion, students of the University of Muhammadiyah Banjarmasin, have an overall positive attitude towards Google Translate. They consider Google Translate as a reliable translating tool and have been relying on it for translating English material. While Google has its flaws, they still consider it as a convenient translating tool. The researchers suggest that students need to familiarize themselves with machine translation, especially Google Translate. Doing that will help them understand the strength and weaknesses of machine translation and help them translate more accurately.