JEELS
(Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studie.
P-ISSN: 2407-2575 E-ISSN: 2503-2194 https://jurnalfaktarbiyah.
id/index.
php/jeels STUDENTSAo PERCEPTIONS OF GOOGLE TRANSLATE USE IN ENGLISH LEARNING: VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
CONTEXT
Ardiyanti Shofia Rahman1.
*Frida Unsiah2 1,2 English Education Department.
Universitas Brawijaya.
Malang.
East Java.
Indonesia arshofia@student.
*frida_unsiah@ub.
(*) Corresponding Author Abstract: This study explores the perceptions of the 10th grade tourism students towards the use of Google Translate in learning English.
Using mixed methods, data were collected through questionnaires and semistructured interviews with 36 students of a vocational high school in East Java.
Indonesia.
The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative ones were analyzed thematically.
The findings showed that students frequently used Google Translate to translate words, sentences, and paragraphs in academic assignments.
The high frequency of the use indicates a fairly high level of reliance, especially among students with lower English proficiency.
However, some of the more critical students still checked the translation against other sources to ensure While Google Translate facilitates access to English, its limitations in translating tourism Citation in APA style:
Rahman.
, & Unsiah.
StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
, 561-584.
DOI: 10.
30762/jeels.
Submission: March 2025.
Revision: April 2025.
Publication: June 2025 Rahman.
, & Unsiah.
StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
, 561-584.
terminology may hinder in-depth understanding.
Therefore, it is important that teachers provide supervision and incorporate alternative learning resources to support students in developing more independent and contextualized language skills, such as more accurate digital dictionaries or practice-based With the right approach.
Google Translate can be an effective tool without replacing more in-depth Keywords: Google Translate.
English vocational students, tourism education INTRODUCTION Technology has become a core component of most activities in modern life, including education.
Vocational education, which focuses on work readiness and practical skills, is increasingly relying on technology to improve learning effectiveness (Ahmadi, 2.
Technology in vocational education is responsible for increasing student participation, access to broader learning resources, and improving teaching practices through digital platforms and tools (Iberahim et al.
, 2.
One of the dominant technological tools used in language learning is electronic translation, such as Google Translate.
Access and speed of translation of foreign language texts are easily promoted with it, and it is one of the best tools that students choose to learn English texts (Ningrum & Dewi, 2.
English proficiency is required through vocational training for the tourism industry as an imperative skill for learners to be competitive in the international field (Aysu & ynzcan, 2.
Students need to be proficient in multiple skills of using a language such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing so that they can interact with foreign guests and also perform administrative tasks such as report writing and business communication (Putri et al.
, 2.
In this case.
Google Translate can act as a catalyst that enables students to learn complex vocabulary and grammatical patterns.
The use of this online translation tool is also part of the Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) paradigm, which aims to highlight the functionality Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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of technology to enhance language learning experiences (Iberahim et , 2.
Some studies show that Google Translate is a frequently used translation tool and can be a useful tool for language learning when being used with the right approach.
A study conducted by Winiharti et al.
, .
found that more than half of the participants actively used Google Translate as a translation tool.
Machine translation can improve efficiency in completing academic tasks, especially for students with limited vocabulary (Garcia & Pena, 2.
In addition.
Perdana and Arifani .
found that Google Translate can help improve students' writing scores when being used as an initial reference, which is then combined with a critical evaluation of the translation results.
Istiqomah and Wibowo .
also emphasized the importance of critical evaluation when using Google Translate, so that students do not only rely on the translation results, but also use it as a learning tool that promotes language awareness.
Despite the benefits of Google Translate in language learning, some studies have shown that its overuse can lead to dependency and hinder the development of students' critical thinking skills and active communication in English.
A study conducted by Hutagalung et al.
showed that Google Translate can increase students' engagement, self-awareness, and vocabulary mastery due to its ease of use and accessibility.
However, on the other hand, its use also risks causing dependency, making students pay less attention to the deeper meaning of vocabulary.
Another study by Alotaibi and Salamah .
showed that although automatic translation can reduce errors in text comprehension, overreliance can weaken students' contextual Similar results were found by Reidina et al.
, who found that students who relied too much on Google Translate had difficulty understanding English structures more deeply.
Although many studies have pointed out the pros and cons of using Google Translate in learning English, there remains a research gap when it comes to the use of Google Translate among vocational students, specifically tourism students, in learning vocabulary.
Previous studies have tended to focus on the impact of machine Rahman.
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JEELS, 12.
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translation on text comprehension and writing skills in general, rather than specifically on how students use Google Translate to develop vocabulary suitable for the needs of the tourism industry.
The use of tools like Google Translate in this area deserves more focused exploration, especially considering that English for Specific Purposes (ESP) should be aligned with learnersAo needs and contexts (Hutchinson & Waters, 1.
In this context, although previous study has explored the use of Google Translate, there is still a limited amount of study that focuses on vocational high school students' perceptions using this tool.
Most of the existing study focuses on regular academic classrooms or postsecondary environments, resulting in a lack of understanding of how vocational high school students engage with such technologies.
Given that vocational students often require different pedagogical approaches and face unique learning challenges, it is important to align with their needs (Hutchinson & Waters, 1.
and examine how they perceive Google Translate to support their learning.
As suggested by the Technology Acceptance Model, users' behavioral intentions to adopt technology are largely shaped by their perceptions of its usefulness and ease of use (Davis, 1.
Therefore, exploring students' perceptions of Google Translate can provide valuable insights for educators in designing more responsive and effective instructional Although previous studies on machine translation have mainly discussed its impact on reading comprehension and writing tasks, there is a lack of study focusing on the use of Google Translate in English language learning for vocational education, especially among tourism majors.
In tourism majors, students need to learn English as a key skill for their careers in the tourism industry, which requires them to master multiple languages, including English, as vocational schools prepare students for their future careers in their chosen fields.
This is consistent with the findings of Wesely and Plummer .
, who emphasize that learners' attitudes toward technology significantly influence their engagement and success in language learning.
Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions of tourism Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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students regarding the use of Google Translate by exploring their experiences and views.
The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights into how technology can be effectively implemented in English language learning in vocational education.
METHOD
Research Design This study used a mixed method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research design to explore the perceptions of tourism vocational students towards the use of Google Translate in English language learning.
According to Creswell .
, mixed method research begins with a quantitative phase to collect data through measurable instruments, followed by analysis of the quantitative results.
The next stage is qualitative research which aims to provide deeper explanations and develop a more comprehensive This approach is considered relevant with the current study context to accommodate more in-depth findings about vocational high school students' perceptions on the use of Google Translate to learn English.
Research Setting and Participants Participants in this study were students from a vocational high school in East Java Indonesia.
Thirty-six participants were recruited purposely from class 10 majoring in tourism considering English becomes their most dominant language to support their future In addition, based on the researchers' classroom observation in the schools it was found that Google Translate became studentsAo main learning tool.
The study was approved by the school and class teacher.
A written informed consent letter was obtained from all participants who voluntarily took a part in the study.
Two out of 36 students were selected as participants in a semistructured interview to support the questionnaire results.
The selection of the two participants was based on the highest and lowest questionnaire scores, considering that the score differences reflected completely different studentsAo perceptions of the use of Google Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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Translate.
These big differences were expected to provide more diverse and in-depth insights into students' views in the context of English language learning.
Thus, semi structured interviews were expected to provide a more comprehensive understanding of students' perceptions of Google Translate in English language learning.
Research Instruments This research instruments were questionnaires and interview guide, designed to collect data regarding students' perceptions of the use of Google Translate in learning English at a vocational high school majoring in tourism.
The questionnaire used a 4-point Likert scale, with answer options from "never" to "always", and from "not effective" to "very effective".
The dimensions used in this questionnaire were adapted from Pham et al.
which included: .
ow often students use Google Translat.
, .
ase and increased understandin.
, .
arriers experienced by student.
, and .
tudents' level of satisfactio.
Then, an interview guide was used to gather further insights from the selected The research instrument consisted of a questionnaire with 20 items categorized into four main dimensions.
Each dimension was designed to measure a particular aspect related to students' perceptions of the use of Google Translate in English language learning.
The questionnaire was distributed to the participants via Google form and conducted for about 15 minutes after the English lesson in the In addition to the questionnaire, this study used semi structured interviews to obtain more in-depth data.
It was conducted after the participants filled out the questionnaire.
The interview questions were developed from elaborated questionnaires to support and enrich the results obtained.
The interviews used an open-ended question approach to allow participants to provide broader and explorative answers according to their experiences and views.
It was carried out for about 15 minutes using Indonesian language to make the participants feel comfortable in the interview.
The data obtained were kept confidential and used for scientific purposes only.
Rahman.
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Data Analysis The data obtained through the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics to calculate the mean score of each item related to the four main dimensions: frequency, benefits, challenges, and students' satisfaction in using Google Translate in English language This analysis aimed to provide an understanding of students' perceptions and identify patterns that emerged from their Meanwhile, the interview data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach, following the method described by Creswell .
To simplify the thematic analysis process, three letter codes were used to represent each theme identified in the data.
The code FGT stands for AoFrequency of students' experience in using Google TranslateAo, which reflects how often students use Google Translate.
The code BGT refers to AoBenefit of Using Google TranslateAo, which highlights the benefits that students perceive.
The code CGT represents AoChallenges of Using Google TranslateAo, which includes barriers or difficulties in its use.
The last, the code SGT stands for AoSatisfaction with the Use of Google TranslateAo, which highlights the students' level of satisfaction in using this tool.
These codes were intentionally designed to be concise to ensure clarity and facilitate structured and efficient data analysis.
In this study, each participant was assigned a code to ensure anonymity and ease of data analysis.
The coding was in the format of "P" followed by a number representing the number of participants in the study.
For example, "P1" is used to denote participant 1, "P2" is used to denote participant Each participant's response was reported using the coding to prevent identification of the participant and to ensure objectivity in data analysis.
Validity of the Research To ensure the validity of the research instrument, a validation test was conducted through a pilot study before the instrument was used in the main research.
The pilot study aimed to measure the clarity, consistency, and relevance of each item in the questionnaire and interview questions.
The participants in the pilot study consisted Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
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of 26 students with similar characteristics to the main research The results of the pilot study were then analyzed using SPSS software to verify the consistency and strength of the instrument in measuring what was intended.
It showed that of the 21 items tested, 1 item was invalid, so the item was eliminated from the research Analysis of the pilot study results helped identify questions that were ambiguous, poorly understood, or irrelevant.
Thus, this validation test ensured that the instrument used could accurately measure students' perceptions of the use of Google Translate in English language learning in vocational schools, especially in tourism majors.
In addition, to ensure the reliability and validity of the results from the interviews, a member check procedure was conducted, in which the interview transcripts were returned to the participants to ensure that the information provided was accurately recorded.
Validity was also strengthened through triangulation by comparing the findings from the interviews with the results from the questionnaires, making the analysis and conclusions more reliable.
addition, as determined by CronbachAos alpha, a test of internal consistency, the questionnaire was considered reliable as shown in Table 1.
Table 1.
CronbachAos Alpha result N of items Reliability 0,91415 FINDINGS The following are the results of the questionnaires and semistructured interviews to answer the research question about studentsAo perceptions toward the use of Google Translate in vocational high school context.
The results of the questionnaire in Table 2 show the mean score of each item in dimension 1 about frequency of the use of Google Translate with 9 items.
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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Table 2.
Mean score results of dimension 1 Item Scale Frequency Mean .
How often do you use Google Translate words in English text? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate translate entire paragraphs of English texts? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate translate sentences from your native language to English for assignments? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate to check writing in English? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate to find synonyms or improve your vocabulary in writing? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate to listen to English words? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate translate English audio or video for your assignments? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate to help you pronounce English words correctly? Never Rarely Often Always .
How often do you use Google Translate translate what you want to say from your native language to English? Never Rarely Often Always Rahman.
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The mean scores in Table 2 range from 2.
44 to 3.
The highest score .
was item 1 showing that the students often use Google Translate to understand unfamiliar words.
It also goes to item 2 showing that the students often use Google Translate to translate the entire paragraphs.
Conversely, the lowest score is item 7 stating that students rarely use Google Translate to translate audio or video in Mean Scores Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 9 Figure 1.
The mean scores of each item in dimension 1 Figure 1 visually supports these findings, highlighting items 1 and 2 as the highest ranked items.
Both findings focusing on the use of Google Translate for vocabulary enrichment and paragraph translation are supported by the interview results.
"I often use Google translate, almost every English lesson.
I can understand it if I use Google Translate.
" (FGT-P.
"Quite often because there are many words that are not understood, so I need Google translate support to understand.
" (FGT-P.
These statements are consistent with the results of the questionnaire, indicating that students rely on Google Translate to help them understand vocabulary and sentences.
The tool is considered essential for learning English, especially for enriching vocabulary comprehension.
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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Table 3 presents the results of the questionnaire showing the mean score of each item in dimension 2 about benefits of using Google Translate with 6 items.
Table 3.
Mean score results of dimension 2 Item Scale Frequency Not .
How effective is Google Somewhat Translate in helping you Effective understand English text? Very effective Not .
How effective is Google Somewhat Translate in helping you Effective write English texts? Very effective Never .
How often is Google Rarely Translate accurate in the Often context of your task? Always .
How effective is Google Not effective Translate in helping you Somewhat Effective understanding of English Very effective Mean .
How effective is Google Translate in helping you English Not effective Somewhat effective Effective Very effective .
How often do you find Google Translate helpful in Never Rarely Often Always Table 3 presents the mean scores range from 2.
81 to 3.
The highest score is item 15, indicating that students feel significantly supported by Google Translate in completing their school assignments.
On the other hand, item 12, which deals with the accuracy of translations, receives the lowest score, highlighting that students are aware of potential inaccuracies in translation results.
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
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Mean Scores Item 10 Item 11 Item 12 Item 13 Item 14 Item 15 Figure 2.
The mean scores of each item in dimension 2 Figure 2 provides a visual comparison of the mean scores, reinforcing that while students benefit from Google Translate, they remain cautious about its reliability.
The low score for item 12 suggests that students often double-check translations, either using their own knowledge, dictionaries, or alternative tools.
This aligns with the interview results.
AuOnce, if I find a mistake.
I usually ask a friend or open a dictionary.
(BGT-P.
"Usually.
Google translate makes a lot of mistakes, especially if the translation is to a rather long sentence, because usually the results become word-for-word translations.
The way to overcome it, because I have a basic understanding so I think about it.
" (BGT-P.
Furthermore, participant 2 also add other similar alternatives, if Google Translate is not available.
"Use a dictionary maybe, because I rarely use a dictionary but if Google Translate is not available use a dictionary.
There is another alternative that you recommend which is deepL, because to my knowledge it has just appeared, previously it did not exist.
" (BGT-P.
Despite these limitations, the high score on item 15 and the following student remarks highlight how helpful Google Translate is for learning Rahman.
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English, especially for expanding vocabulary and understanding "Not too far, but I can understand new vocabulary with the help of Google Translate.
" (BGT-P.
"It's quite helpful, because there are many vocabularies that I don't know the meaning of, so it can help me to understand the vocab that I don't " (BGT-P.
These findings show that while students are aware of Google TranslateAos weaknesses, they still consider it a valuable learning tool that promotes both comprehension and independent thinking.
Table 4 presents the results of the questionnaire showing the mean score of each item in dimension 3 about challenges of using Google Translate, which consists of 2 items.
Table 4.
Mean score results of dimension 3 Item Scale Frequency .
How often have you Never Google Rarely Translate doesn't translate Often tourism specific terms Always .
How often do you feel that you rely too much on Google Translate when writing in English? Never Rarely Often Always Mean Table 4 shows the mean scores range from 2.
58 to 2.
The highest score appears in item 17, indicating that many students feel dependent on Google Translate when writing in English.
Meanwhile, the lowest score in item 16 reflects students' recognition of Google Translate's limitations in translating tourism terminology, a common challenge for tourism students.
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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Mean Scores Item 16 Item 17 Figure 3.
The mean scores of each item in dimension 3 Figure 3 reinforces this pattern.
students show a fairly strong reliance on the tool to complete writing tasks.
This is also evident in the interviews.
"Quite dependent, because with Google Translate.
I can work on my own, so I don't depend on friends.
" (CGT-P.
However, not all students feel this way.
A few with stronger English skills report less dependence, choosing instead to rely on their own understanding.
"Not dependent, because if you already know the meaning, so there is no need to use Google Translate.
" (CGT-P.
These varying levels of dependence highlight the influence of students' English proficiency on how they use the tool.
Despite their reliance, many students do not accept translations passively.
They often evaluate whether the translation fits the context and adjust when necessary, showing a growing critical awareness.
AuI usually understand first.
If I think it's not right.
I'll look up the answer in the Dictionary or ask my friends.
Ay (CGT-P.
AuYes, it must be understood, because if it's not understood, there will be something wrong, the context will be different, it can have different Rahman.
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meanings, especially if the teacher doesn't understand the assignment, it will be more complicated.
Ay (CGT-P.
Moreover, specific difficulties arise in translating tourismrelated terms, as Google Translate often produces literal, word-forword translations, which may lead to confusion.
"Occasionally.
For example, there is a special term of two words in English, but instead it is interpreted per word.
However, if you enter 1 whole sentence, the meaning becomes clear, so sometimes it makes you Au (CGT-P.
AyIn the tourism department, there is no specific English assignment, maybe an itinerary, because it is usually a schedule.
" (CGT-P.
These findings suggest that while Google Translate plays a key role in supporting students' English writing, especially in terms of independence, its limitations in accuracy and technical vocabulary require students to engage more actively in the learning process.
Table 5 shows the results of the questionnaire showing the mean score of each item in dimension 4 about satisfaction with the use of Google Translate, which consists of 3 items.
Table 5.
Mean score results dimension 4 Item Scale Frequency .
How satisfied are Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied translations provided Satisfied by Google Translate? Very satisfied Mean .
How satisfied are you with the ease of using Google Translate in learning activities? Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very satisfied .
How satisfied are you with the impact of Google Translate on your ability to do English assignments? Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very satisfied Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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As shown in Table 5, the mean scores range from 3.
11 to 3.
The highest score was found in item 19, indicating that students are most satisfied with the ease of using Google Translate in their learning In contrast, the lowest score was found in item 18, which relates to their satisfaction with the quality of the translation results, suggesting that while students find the tool helpful, some still perceive limitations in translation accuracy.
Mean Scores Item 18 Item 19 Item 20 Figure 4.
The mean scores of each item in dimension 4 Figure 4 visualizes these findings.
The majority of students appreciate Google Translate for its practicality, familiarity, and ease of access, making it their preferred tool for language support.
This was supported by the interview results.
"One of them is that it is more familiar, easy to access and not complicated.
(SGT-P.
"Because Google Translate is the most accessible and easy to use, if you use a dictionary it is more complicated, you have to look it up one by one, while Google Translate only needs to write down words that are not understood and immediately shows the results.
" (SGT-P.
Although the overall satisfaction level is high, students still feel the need to verify translation accuracy, particularly when the context or meaning seems unclear.
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
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AuYes, it must be rechecked.
Ay (SGT-P.
AuI always double-check, because it is not 100 percent accurate, so it must be checked again if you want to use it.
Ay (SGT-P.
Further, participant 2 suggested that improvements to the systemAos translation database could enhance its reliability.
"Maybe Google Translate should add a database so that the translation results are not wrong, because the most annoying thing is that we use Google Translate to understand words that we don't understand, but the translation results are confusing or out of context, making understanding more difficult.
" (SGT-P.
In summary, students express high satisfaction with the ease of use of Google Translate, while maintaining a critical awareness of its limitations especially regarding translation quality in certain contexts.
Overall Mean Scores FGT
BGT
CGT
SGT
Figure 5.
Overall mean scores of each dimension Themes Emerged from the Interview Based on the interviews, it was necessary to list themes or issues that needed to be discussed further to explore students' perceptions of the use of Google translate in learning.
Table 6 presents and simplifies the themes that emerged from the interviews.
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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Table 6.
List of themes emerged from the interview Interview Hints Frequency of studentsAo Google Translate (FGT) Benefit of using Google Translate (BGT) a a a a Challenges of using Google Translate (CGT) Satisfaction with the use of Google Translate (SGT) a a a a a Themes Emerged Frequent use in almost every English lesson (FGT-P.
Quite often to understand unfamiliar words (FGT-P.
Helps understand new vocabulary (BGT-P.
Makes learning vocabulary easier (BGT-P.
Rely on Google Translate (CGT-P.
Not rely on Google Translate, used when needed (CGT-P.
Misinterpretation (CGT-P1.
CGT-P.
Familiar and easy to use (SGT-P1.
SGT-P.
Need to recheck for accuracy (SGT-P1.
SGT-P.
The table highlights that within the four main dimensions, several themes or issues emerged from their responses.
These responses reflect their broad perspectives on Google Translate use in English learning.
These perspectives are further explored in the discussion section.
DISCUSSION
The findings of this study reveal that vocational students majoring in Tourism have diverse perceptions of the use of Google Translate in English language learning.
Most students see Google Translate as a very helpful tool in understanding words, texts and completing academic assignments.
However, there is also an awareness of the limitations of translation accuracy and its impact on their language skills.
The results show that the majority of students routinely use Google Translate to understand English vocabulary and texts, even in academic assignments.
As shown by the results of the current study about studentsAo frequently use of Google Translate for understanding Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
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unfamiliar words and translating entire paragraphs which shows a mean score 3.
It is in line with the study from Ningrum and Dewi .
, which revealed that students prefer Google Translate because of its features that support the translation process and improve mastery of new vocabulary.
In addition, a study from Winiharti et al.
also found that more than half of the participants actively used Google Translate as the main tool in translation.
This shows that this technology is a solution in overcoming vocabulary limitations and understanding English.
According to the interview results.
Google Translate helps them understand unfamiliar vocabulary.
In terms of benefits, students report that Google Translate help them understand the meaning of complex vocabulary.
This aligns with the interview findings, reinforcing that students perceive Google Translate as helpful for vocabulary comprehension.
This finding is consistent with Garcia and Pena's .
study, which showed that machine translation can improve efficiency in completing academic tasks, especially for students with limited vocabulary knowledge.
Perdana and Arifani's .
study showed that Google Translate can improve students' writing scores when used as an initial reference that is then critically corrected.
In the context of vocational education, this benefit is particularly relevant as students need to understand the language not only for communication, but also for administrative tasks such as report writing and business communication (Putri et al.
, 2.
Therefore.
Google Translate can act as a catalyst to accelerate the language learning process, in line with the technology-enhanced language learning paradigm (Iberahim et , 2.
While Google Translate offers significant benefits in helping students understand English texts and complete academic tasks, some challenges remain, particularly related to the risk of dependency.
The students in this study show a tendency to rely on Google Translate, but still tried not to use the translated results uncritically.
They were aware of the limited accuracy of this tool and tried to reconcile the meaning of the translation with the context of the sentence, along with the interview responses that students apply critical thinking when Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
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using the translation tool which is reflected in a mean score of 2.
This is in line with the study by Istiqomah and Wibowo .
, where the study showed that although learners appreciated the features and efficiency of the tool, it was still limited and unable to produce contextual translations.
The caution raised in this study is partially reflected in the results which showed a mean score of 2.
58, where students acknowledged that Google Translate struggled with tourism-specific terminology, suggesting that overreliance could hinder the acquisition of domain-specific vocabulary.
The study presented on the nuances of translation gave way to a consideration of the balance to be struck.
While these tools and technologies make it easy to practice using a language, students could be encouraged to use them wisely so that they are not passive in their language learning.
contrast, this finding contradicts the findings of Hutagalung et al.
that excessive use of Google Translate may result in students paying less attention to truly understanding vocabulary.
In addition, although Google Translate can help reduce text comprehension errors (Alotaibi & Salamah, 2.
, overreliance still has the potential to weaken students' contextual analysis skills.
Reidina et al.
also found that students who overused Google Translate tended to have difficulty understanding English structures more deeply.
This finding is consistent with previous study highlighting that while automated translation tools are beneficial, their use should be balanced with critical evaluation and self-learning strategies (Zhang & Zou, 2.
The interview results also show that students do not immediately use the translation, they check and understand the translation, which is evidence of critical evaluation and independent learning.
It is found that most of the students are satisfied with using Google Translate because it can accomplish the learning task independently, which can increase their confidence in understanding the English text.
This is supported by the questionnaire result which recorded a mean score of 3.
22, the highest in the satisfaction dimension indicating that students appreciate the ease of use in learning activities.
This result is in line with Ningrum and Dewi .
Rahman.
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StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
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, 561-584.
who found that students prefer Google Translate because of its ease of access, as well as the tendency to Google text translation quickly without the need to use manual dictionaries or other similar This was also reflected in the interview responses that Google Translate is the most accessible and easier to use than manual dictionaries because it is more complicated.
Furthermore, this result supports the work of Hutagalung et al.
, who found that Google Translate improves students' engagement, self-awareness, and vocabulary acquisition because it is easy to use.
The interview responses also supported this, with students noting that Google Translate is highly accessible and easy to use, allowing them to quickly find the meaning of unfamiliar words.
By the help of this tool, students are more encouraged to try to understand more complex texts, although they still need assistance to ensure accurate and relevant translation results.
Student satisfaction with the use of Google Translate can also be attributed to increased access to a wider range of learning resources.
As noted by Iberahim et al.
, digital technology in education can expand learning opportunities and increase student participation in the language learning process.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the perceptions of tourism major students towards the role of Google Translate in English language Findings show that many students rely on Google Translate, especially for understanding foreign terms in academic assignments.
However, some of the more critical students compare the translated results with other sources to ensure accuracy.
The differences in the level of English comprehension affect the use of Google Translate.
A helpful tool as it is, over-reliance frustrates the development of communication skills that are vital in the tourism Therefore, to support students in developing more independent and contextualized language skills, it is important that teachers provide supervision and incorporate alternative learning resources, such as more accurate digital dictionaries or practice-based Rahman.
, & Unsiah.
StudentsAo Perceptions of Google Translate Use in English Learning: Vocational High School Context.
JEELS, 12.
, 561-584.
With the right approach.
Google Translate can be an effective tool without replacing more in-depth learning.
This study also provides valuable insights into the needs of vocational students in language learning through digital tools, especially in the context of tourism.
It offers practical recommendations for teachers on how to best develop technologybased learning strategies that prevent students from relying passively on Google Translate, and use it as a tool to enhance their critical thinking skills and contextual sensitivity in English.
DECLARATION OF AI AND AI-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES
In developing this work, the authors utilized ChatGPT to support information retrieval, along with DeepL (V.
to enhance linguistic accuracy and readability.
The authors have carefully reviewed, revised, and refined the content as necessary and take full responsibility for the final manuscript.
REFERENCES