English Students’ Perceptions of Using Machine Translation Yandex Tools in Final Project Writing

Abstract

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine translation (MT) tools, has increasingly influenced the academic writing practices of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. This study explored EFL students’ perceptions of using machine translation, specifically Yandex Translator, in completing their undergraduate final projects. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed involving eighth-semester students of the English Education Program at Universitas Negeri Semarang. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that students generally view machine translation as a useful and accessible tool for academic writing. Participants reported using Yandex Translator to understand unfamiliar vocabulary, improve grammatical accuracy, interpret academic sources, paraphrase texts, and organize ideas more effectively. They also perceived that the tool helped increase their confidence and supported the overall writing process. However, several challenges were identified, including inaccurate contextual translations, overly literal renderings, and the risk of excessive dependence on the tool. Despite these limitations, students considered machine translation beneficial when used critically and combined with their own language knowledge. The study concludes that machine translation can effectively support EFL students’ academic writing, although careful human evaluation remains essential to ensure accuracy and academic quality.