English Language Students’ Frequency, Perception and Purpose of Use of MT and CAT Tools

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 1 - 12, 30.06.2025

đelaludina šukalić , Edina Rizvić Eminović , Melisa Bureković

Abstract

Machine and computer-assisted translation tools have become widely accessible and
user-friendly in the modern digital age. English language learners, in particular,
stand to gain significantly from utilizing machine translation (MT) or computer-
assisted translation (CAT) tools such as Google Translate or Trados. This paper seeks
to investigate the frequency of use of these tools by the English language students at
the University of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina outside the classroom, the specific
tools utilized, the purposes of their application, and the students’ perceptions of these
tools, with a focus on features such as translation quality and usability. To gather
data, a survey was used consisting of both open-ended and closed-ended questions.
The findings indicate a lower frequency of MT and CAT tools usage, and reveal
notable differences in the students’ perception of the features of MT and CAT tools
analyzed. The insights derived from this research may contribute to understanding
how these tools can be better incorporated in English language instruction and
translation studies.

Keywords

machine translation , computer-assisted translation , English language

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