Using Electronic Dictionaries to Enhance Foreign Language Instruction Electronic Translators and You
Uses of Dictionaries - Electronic Dictionaries and translators can greatly aid the foreign language instructor. - There are 3 main uses: 1) Teachers may use the resource to research new phrases 2) Students become able to quickly locate words 3) Teachers may use E-translators to check for academic dishonesty
Problems with Texts The problem of Slang and quickly evolving vocabularies: Italian students are writing stories. One student decides to write a story about the internet but is unable to locate any of the needed words
More Problems Classroom dictionaries are often outdated and in poor physical condition. E-dictionaries are constantly outdated and can keep up with the blinding pace of language.
Student Frustration Students are often frustrated by in-class dictionaries. Problems include: Outdated translations Ripped out pages Dictionaries that only translate in one direction
E-Solutions Electronic dictionaries are usually reversible and contain drop down menus The process is easily understood by students who are used to searching on the internet
Why you must Familiarize yourself with Translators Students are already using Online Translations to Cheat. Teachers may notice odd word usage or a stiffness to a students translation. However it is not easy to prove that dishonesty has occured
Ways to Detect Dishonesty Teachers may now use an electronic translator to double check a student’s work. For example a student has translated Mi Chiamo Andrew as I call Andrew. An instructor inputs that same translation into Babel (an E-translator)
Similar Mistakes And sure enough Babel returns an Identical Translation. The program missed the reflexive pronoun, and the student copied the mistake.
Dishonesty Proven Susy must translate from English to Italian. She translates I want to Sing as Desidero cantare. The translation uses a tense and word “Desidero” that Susy has not been taught. An e-translator returns a similar word. CHEATING