How digital literacy and ICT self-efficacy shape student perceived post-editing competence

Area of Science:

• Translation Studies
• Educational Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Machine translation (MT) and post-editing (PE) are essential in contemporary translation.
• Perceived competence in PE is vital for student translators.
• The influence of digital literacy and ICT self-efficacy on PE competence needs clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the direct impact of digital literacy on college students' perceived PE competence.
• To investigate the mediating role of ICT self-efficacy in the relationship between digital literacy and perceived PE competence.
• To validate a structural model examining these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative study involving 446 senior English majors from seven Chinese universities.
• Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed relationships.
• Data collection focused on digital literacy, ICT self-efficacy, and perceived PE competence.

Main Results:

• Digital literacy directly and positively influenced perceived PE competence (β = 0.294, p = 0.009).
• Digital literacy significantly enhanced ICT self-efficacy (β = 0.705, p < 0.001).
• ICT self-efficacy positively mediated the relationship between digital literacy and perceived PE competence (β = 0.248, p = 0.000).

Conclusions:

• Digital literacy is a significant predictor of perceived PE competence, both directly and indirectly through ICT self-efficacy.
• Developing students' digital literacy and ICT self-efficacy is crucial for enhancing their readiness for professional post-editing.
• Educational institutions should integrate digital skills training to prepare translators for industry demands.