USING AI TRANSLATION TOOLS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
USING AI TRANSLATION TOOLS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Summary/Abstract: The rapid development of machine translation and generative artificial intelligence has made Google Translate, DeepL and ChatGPT part of university students’ foreign language learning practices. However, easy access to these tools does not guarantee critical or pedagogically productive use. This conceptual and practice-oriented article examines how the three tools can be integrated into foreign language education without replacing learners’ linguistic judgement. It proposes the COMPARE framework, consisting of seven stages: Contextualise, Obtain, Map, Probe, Assess, Revise and Explain. The framework structures the processes of comparison, verification, post-editing and reflection. Five adaptable classroom applications address vocabulary and grammar, register and audience, idioms and cultural mediation, prompt development, and human post-editing. The article also identifies essential safeguards concerning academic integrity, privacy, bias, verification and disclosure. It argues that AI-generated translations become educationally valuable when they are treated as objects of critical analysis rather than as final answers. As a pedagogical proposal, the framework requires future classroom implementation and empirical validation.

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