Apri Wardana Ritonga, Uril Bahruddin, Abdul Aziz, Ayu Desrani
Google Translate offers significant convenience for students in translating Arabic texts (L1) into Indonesian (L2). However, its translations are not always accurate. To achieve high-quality results, students must assess the accuracy of these translations. This study aims to analyze the errors produced by Google Translate in Arabic-to-Indonesian translation to identify patterns of machine translation errors. This research adopts an interpretive paradigm with a qualitative approach, employing a case study method at As-Syifa College of Qur’anic Sciences (STIQ) in Subang, Indonesia. The participants consisted of 90 third-semester students engaged in intensive Arabic studies. Data were collected through observations, document analysis, and interviews conducted via Google Forms. The analysis was guided by Brown’s error analysis framework, which involves identifying, analyzing, and classifying deviations from target language norms while uncovering the underlying system shaping learners’ language production. The findings indicate that students generally perceive Google Translate positively, as it provides efficiency and ease in completing tasks. However, the study identified seven categories of errors in Google Translate’s output: semantic, grammatical, conceptual, idiomatic, interlingual transfer, intralingual transfer, and learning context errors. The results suggest that Google Translate has not yet achieved high-quality Arabic (L1) to Indonesian (L2) translation in accordance with linguistic rules, highlighting the need for further evaluation and improvement in its translation capabilities. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Jl. Gajayana No.50, Malang, 65144, Indonesia; Yogyakarta State University, Jl. Colombo No.1, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia
