Abstract
Abstract : Over the past few decades drastic changes took place in the various fields of technology that have considerably altered our way of life. Technology provides numerous opportunities for language students to learn, practice and study language beyond the classroom. Educational technology aims to improve the process of language learning by offering an unlimited number of hardware and software services. Students are turning to using their smartphone tools to help them gain access to open educational resources. This research focuses on one of these technologies; Google Translate as a method that integrates pedagogical knowledge with technology to enhance language learning. The main goal of this research is to explore how google translate can serve as a valuable resource for building vocabulary and phrases to achieve the best possible results of learning a language. Google Translate is one of the most accessible tools that help its users meet their translation needs, along with providing accurate pronunciation for vocabulary, phrases and sentences as well. It 1 is believed that a major number of language learners have trouble learning the meaning and the pronunciation of new vocabulary, using Google Translate can noticeably facilitate the processe of learning new words. This research also aims to investigate the effectiveness of using Google Translate as a self-directed language learning tool. The research covers a sample of Libyan learners of English. Those learners are adults studying English at Tripoli university, they are taking specialized English language courses along with studying an elective foreign language course for credit as a part of their undergraduate program. For such a group of learners, learning foreign language vocabulary can be difficult as a majority of adult learners tend to forget newly-learned words easily. If learners get the chance to check word meaning and word pronunciation through using Google Translate this might help them use the words effectively in their speaking practice and writing compositions. The methodology followed for this research is merely descriptive. It basically focuses on the pros and cons of Google Translate as a self-directed language learning tool. A questionnaire was conducted along with a short vocabulary test to explore how Google Translate can be used as a tool that provides a reliable translation between two languages. The findings of this research illustrate how Google Translate helped participants to acquire new vocabulary and the correct pronunciation of new words on a short-time basis.