The technology addressed in this study is Google Translate (GT) and its associated text-to-speech (TTS) and automatic-speech-recognition (ASR) built-in features. In the literature, the three technologies encompassed by GT have shown to have positive effects in the learning of second/foreign language (L2) vocabulary and pronunciation: Translation (Calis & Dikilitas, 2012), TTS (Soler-Urzua, 2011) and ASR (Liakin, Cardoso & Liakina, 2014). This study is an investigation of the affordances of GT and the accompanied technologies in a self-directed learning (SDL) environment.
The study examined the pedagogical use of GT as a source of L2 Dutch vocabulary and pronunciation in an SDL setting. Thirty participants used GT (its translation, TTS and ASR functions) for approximately one hour to learn a small number of “basic/beginner” words and phrases and their respective pronunciations in Dutch (e.g., how to say “hi” – “Hoi” [hoj]). The study followed a pre/post/delayed-post test design that examined the participants learning of vocabulary/phrases and their related pronunciations, combined with a qualitative analysis of video recordings of their self-directed interactions with GT. In addition, surveys about their learning experience and interviews were administered. The findings indicate that the participants were able to acquire Dutch vocabulary and pronunciation on a short-term basis, they interacted with GT’s TTS and ASR technology in different ways and to different extents, demonstrating that GT is a versatile tool. Finally, our findings suggest that participants had overall positive views of GT according to the four perception markers adopted (i.e., learnability, usability, motivation, and willingness to use the technology).