A Comparative Analysis of Student Perception to `Use Google Translate and Deep L In Translating Journal Article At Private West Sumatra University

Abstract

This study aims to describe students’ perceptions of the translation accuracy of Google Translate and DeepL in translating English academic journal articles. This study employed a descriptive qualitative design involving two final-year students of the English Education Study Program at Universitas PGRI Sumatera Barat as respondents. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews focusing on five indicators of translation accuracy: accuracy in conveying meaning, clarity of translation, contextual appropriateness, accuracy in translating academic terms, and accuracy in translating complex sentences. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo. The results show that students have positive perceptions of the use of Google Translate and DeepL. Google Translate was considered helpful for understanding the general meaning, particularly in simple sentences and commonly used academic terms. However, students identified several limitations, such as word choices that were less appropriate to the context, sentences that sounded rigid, difficulties with specific academic terms, and challenges in translating long and complex sentences. Meanwhile, DeepL was perceived more positively because it was able to maintain the meaning of the original text, produce more natural and understandable translations, adjust word choices to the context, and translate long and complex sentences in a more organized manner. Nevertheless, students still need to check unfamiliar academic terms through other sources. These findings indicate that Google Translate and DeepL can be used as supporting tools for understanding English academic journal articles. However, students still need to compare the translation results with the original text and verify unclear information in order to achieve accurate understanding and reduce misunderstandings of terms, context, and academic meaning in the translated text.