Machine Translation - Friend or Foe : Using MT in EFL process writing

It is becoming much easier to access machine translation (MT), a convenient option for foreign language learners, which can often produce flawless, near native-like language. However, this may negatively affect students’ capacity for meaningful writing output. Since students will no doubt continue to use MT in the future, teachers need to consider how best to incorporate MT in students writing practice autonomously, and how best to guide students in the use of MT so as to improve their writing ability. Students completed a series of six process writing exercises over the course of three months, first writing one draft in the classroom. After an in-class briefing by the instructors on the use of MT for editing, the students completed a second draft at home. Through a pre-and post-survey, it was found that students feel they can use MT to improve their writing ability and that it was helpful as a tool in building confidence in writing.