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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 26, No. 0, pp.486-508
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Mar 2026
Received 19 Jan 2026 Revised 20 Feb 2026 Accepted 09 Mar 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.26..202603.486

Exploring Vietnamese English Majors’ Acceptance and Use of Generative AI in a Basic Translation Course

Bao Dinh Lu ; Hung Dieu Luu
(First author, Corresponding author) Lecturer, Faculty of Foreign Languages Ho Chi Minh City Open University 35-37 Ho Hao Hon Street, Cau Ong Lanh Ward Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tel: +84-28-3838-6606 bao.ld@ou.edu.vn
(Second author) Student, Faculty of Foreign Languages Ho Chi Minh City Open University 2157013035hung@ou.edu.vn


© 2026 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The rise of generative AI (GenAI) has disrupted traditional product-oriented translation pedagogy in EFL contexts such as Vietnam, yet despite students’ widespread use of GenAI tools, few studies have examined what shapes their acceptance and use in translation learning. Existing AI research has largely used conventional technology acceptance models that overlook GenAI’s unique traits. To address this, this study adopts the recently developed AI Device Use Acceptance (AIDUA) model, which provides a three-phase appraisal framework for evaluating AI acceptance. This sequential explanatory mixed-method study examined GenAI acceptance and use among 362 English-major undergraduates in a basic translation course at a private Vietnamese university. Using AIDUA-based questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the study found a high level of GenAI acceptance. Novelty value and perceived humanness of GenAI influenced both performance expectancy (PE) and effort expectancy, while hedonic motivation and social influence affected only PE. PE predicted cognitive but not affective attitude, and cognitive attitude was the strongest predictor of students’ willingness to accept GenAI. ChatGPT was the most frequently used tool, mainly for translation and revision, but students’ intuitive use raised concerns about academic integrity and over-reliance on GenAI. The findings emphasise the need to officially integrate GenAI into translation courses and provide proper training for both students and lecturers. The study recommends customising GenAI, underpinned by parallel corpora, to mitigate hallucinated outputs. Finally, a pedagogical framework for student-GenAI cooperation is put forward, along with diversified assessments, to ensure ethical and effective AI implementation in a translation course.

Keywords:

Generative AI, translation learning, AIDUA, technology acceptance, EFL learners

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