AWEJ. Special Issue on Translation No.3 May, 2014 Pp. 65 – 74
Teaching CAT Tools to Translation Students: an Examination of Their Expectations and Attitudes
Hind M. Alotaibi
Collage of Languages & Translation
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
This paper presents a study among 103 female translation students enrolled in a Computer Applications in Translation course at the College of Languages & Translation, King Saud University, Riyadh. The study involved completing a questionnaire both at the beginning and at the end of the semester and semi-structured interviews. Classroom observations were also used to collect data aiming at enhancing validity of the study. The study aimed to assess the students’ degree of knowledge regarding Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools and their expectations and attitudes towards using these tools. The results of the study showed a relationship between the increase in the knowledge of CAT tools by the end of the course, and the change in students’ attitudes towards the discipline. Students attitudes became much less biased and, in general, fairly positive. The study suggests that the more the student translators became familiar with CAT tools, realizing their reasonable potentials and current limitations, the less anxious they were. These findings promote the integration of technology in general, and (CAT) tools in particular, into translation classrooms in order to enhance the skills of our students’ translators and maximize their opportunities in today’s job market.
Keywords: computer-aided translation (CAT) tools, teaching, student translators, Saudi Arabia, technology