Date Uploaded

Spring 4-4-2024

Activity source

Original

Summary

Students will translate a paragraph-long passage, then ask ChatGPT to translate the same passage. Students will then compare and evaluate the two translations.

Extended Summary

Students will translate a paragraph-long text from another language into English and then use ChatGPT (and/or other machine translation services) to translate the same passage. Throughout the process, students will be asked to reflect on the experience and difficulties of translating the passage and to compare their translations with classmates’ and with ChatGPT’s. Students will then discuss the possibilities, limitations, and ethics of using AI for translation. This activity could be used in any foreign language class. This is designed as an in-class activity but could easily be adapted as a homework assignment or a variety of formats.

Student Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Demonstrate their ability to translate a paragraph-long passage into English.
  • Deepen their understanding of the possibilities and limitations of AI/machine translation.
  • Analyze translations according to a variety of factors and concepts, which could include context, tone, humor, domestication and foreignization, slang, and bilingualism.
  • Gain a better understanding of the difference made by prompt wording as they compare the results ChatGPT produces when given slightly different prompts.

Assignment Type

Both in-class and out-of-class

Course level

Multiple Course Levels Apply

Used in course?

no

Type of Student-AI Collaboration Required

Collaboratively generated by human and AI

Type of AI Task(s)

Translation

Uploader/Author Affiliation

Graduate Student

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Document Type

Teaching Material

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