The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in foreign language teaching at Spanish universities is rapidly expanding, with growing interest in integrating new tools into classrooms. Many educators highlight AI’s potential to enhance engagement and make language learning more dynamic and accessible. Others, however, raise concerns about the impact of AI on academic integrity, its algorithmic biases, and a loss of authentic interaction. My position is cautiously optimistic. AI can be a valuable tool when guided by instructors and embedded within established teaching practices.
This paper presents the results of a classroom-based study conducted in a Higher Education German language course at the University of Valencia. Forty-five students enrolled in German for Business I engaged in exercises using machine translation (MT) tools such as Google Translate and DeepL, alongside the large language model (LLM) system ChatGPT. The semester-long tasks, adapted from Berkeley Language Center (BLC) templates, included translation, output comparison, clarification of ambiguities with ChatGPT, and group discussions.
The analysis examines the students’ observations, attitudes, and beliefs about these tools in relation to their affordances and limitations. The findings show that explicit instruction fosters digital literacy, reduces blind trust, and supports critical engagement. The study provides practical insights into the pedagogically guided use of LLMs in second language acquisition.
Maria Labarta Postigo is a Professor at the Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication at the University of Valencia (Spain). She graduated in Hispanic and Germanic Philology at the Free University Berlin, where she also completed her doctoral studies in Linguistics. She has professional experience teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Spain, Germany and Brazil. She has also conducted research projects at several universities around the world, including Argentina (UBA), Brazil (UERJ, UFF, UFBA and UFAL), Germany (FU Berlin), New Zealand (UC Christchurch), Norway (UiO) and the USA (UC Berkeley and CUNY). Her main research areas are Foreign Language Teaching, Culture and Interculturality, Critical Discourse Analysis and AI in Higher Education and Multilingual Translation.
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