[Discussion] Google Translate is Plagiarism?! WHAT?!

Silverforsakenhamster

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At this time of year it's the first semester finals in High School. On 12/17 (today) I had to do a script with a group of 4 people, including myself, for our Japanese final. So we had done some tests before today and they were the test portion of the final (?!), that's why we had to do the script on the day OF the final. Weeks before this we had to discuss with our group on how we were going to write. and I had a good idea on what to write which was literally to follow the book and stick with what we barely had learn in the classroom. So the guy in my group said to me that he'll write the script, and I trusted him since he wasn't gonna listen to my ideas anyway. Now we presented the script in front of everyone, I told her the script was going to bad so I didn't want any part in it anyway, but I had to so now we have problem. She pulled the four of us out of the class to speak to us, and this is the part that gets me mad. She tells us that what we did looked like it was google translated and we confirmed that it was (Remember I didn't have anything to do with how it was written). She said that since it was google translated it's plagiarism, and that she could fail us. First of all google translate doesn't write for you, you write in what you want in a different language. Second thing is that you can't fail us cause you didn't get what you wanted to watch us do in the first place, we wrote the script so how come we haft to do it again? So two days from now I haft to write another script, which I am currently making right now as I write, and now my case manager knows about this. And now I'm not sure if my future is looking bright since I might not get the grade that I need in this class.

Just for some background information about this, the teacher is えいご (eigo) sensei. Which means she's an English teacher who learned Japanese at a past time in her life. Now she's at my school and no one thinks she's a good teacher since everything she makes us do is sing and do scripts. The portion of the actual final testing was taken 2 days ago before this incident, if I had known that this guy was gonna do this I would have made this guy write the script with me cause I had a plan going on for it. Now my fault is that I let the guy do it by himself but that does not mean I deserve what she's making us do. But now I don't what's gonna happen since now I'm unsure if I will get the grade I need for this class.

What's your reaction to this and should I worry what's gonna happen?
 
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BlacLord™

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Now she's at my school and no one thinks she's a good teacher since everything she makes us do is sing and do scripts.
Sounds like how my Mandarin Chinese teacher was. Lol

OT: I know someone who did that for a French oral exam, he actually lied through his teeth and got away with it; despite suspicions from the teachers.
 

Jazzy Stardust

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Well yeah that's cheating. That's like if I was using google translate when I took Spanish in high school, it defeats the purpose of the class. You're suppose to create the answers from what you've learned.
 

Silverforsakenhamster

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Well yeah that's cheating. That's like if I was using google translate when I took Spanish in high school, it defeats the purpose of the class. You're suppose to create the answers from what you've learned.
I didn't make the script so it's not my fault, the guy who did it cheated. Plus he's an idiot in the first place for saying he could do it so I have no fault in this.
 

Jazzy Stardust

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I didn't make the script so it's not my fault, the guy who did it cheated. Plus he's an idiot in the first place for saying he could do it so I have no fault in this.
That's not what a team is. As a group you're all responsible for the outcome. If you knew he was probably gonna half ass or do a bad job with the script you should've stepped up to make sure it's good.

Since it's your grade too.
 

Silverforsakenhamster

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That's not what a team is. As a group you're all responsible for the outcome. If you knew he was probably gonna half ass or do a bad job with the script you should've stepped up to make sure it's good.

Since it's your grade too.
He didn't include my ideas. How could get in there and step in if he was going to just ignore what I was saying we should do.
 

Tarinth

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He didn't include my ideas. How could get in there and step in if he was going to just ignore what I was saying we should do.
If you truly found him an issue, you should've talked to the teacher about it. Otherwise, you should've
done it with him or done it yourself rather than be lazy and allow him to do all. And don't talk about
how he wouldn't allow you to proceed with your plans, because if he has the power to do that, then you
also had the power to do that. Furthermore, you had two other group members. What, were all of you
so quick to be pushed over by a single person? And if it's a group project, then you do deserve the blame
for what your partner did. That, or you should just get a zero for having failed to contribute.

Now, as for writing it at this point, if she gives you guys a poor score now simply for what had happened,
I would consider that really harsh but fair. Although, if you try to get on her good side, she might be nice
about it and grade it normally. Forcing you to re-write it though, if she grades it as she would have before though,
is perfectly fair and nothing to complain about. There's nothing to be angry about having to do work that
you should've done before.
 
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Jazzy Stardust

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He didn't include my ideas. How could get in there and step in if he was going to just ignore what I was saying we should do.
Well you can only learn to take charge through experience. I don't think anything I say would help. But next time don't settle for the situation, have a hand or two in where it goes.
 

Silverforsakenhamster

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If you truly found him an issue, you should've talked to the teacher about it. Otherwise, you should've
done it with him or done it yourself rather than be lazy and allow him to do all. And don't talk about
how he wouldn't allow you to proceed with your plans, because if he has the power to do that, then you
also had the power to do that. Furthermore, you had two other group members. What, were all of you
so quick to be pushed over by a single person? And if it's a group project, then you do deserve the blame
for what your partner did. That, or you should just get a zero for having failed to contribute.

Now, as for writing it at this point, if she gives you guys a poor score now simply for what had happened,
I would consider that really harsh but fair. Although, if you try to get on her good side, she might be nice
about it and grade it normally. Forcing you to re-write it though, if she grades it as she would have before though,
is perfectly fair and nothing to complain about. There's nothing to be angry about having to do work that
you should've done before.
Well just a while ago my mother got a call from her and now I can write a 2-paged script all my myself. I admit that what I did with letting the dude write the thing was lazy and stupid, but the punishment is stupid. All that matters now is I make the script, but whole point is that it's plagiarism because it was google translated, but even if that was the case it's not.
 
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chopstickchakra

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At this time of year it's the first semester finals in High School. On 12/17 (today) I had to do a script with a group of 4 people, including myself, for our Japanese final. So we had done some tests before today and they were the test portion of the final (?!), that's why we had to do the script on the day OF the final. Weeks before this we had to discuss with our group on how we were going to write. and I had a good idea on what to write which was literally to follow the book and stick with what we barely had learn in the classroom. So the guy in my group said to me that he'll write the script, and I trusted him since he wasn't gonna listen to my ideas anyway. Now we presented the script in front of everyone, I told her the script was going to bad so I didn't want any part in it anyway, but I had to so now we have problem. She pulled the four of us out of the class to speak to us, and this is the part that gets me mad. She tells us that what we did looked like it was google translated and we confirmed that it was (Remember I didn't have anything to do with how it was written). She said that since it was google translated it's plagiarism, and that she could fail us. First of all google translate doesn't write for you, you write in what you want in a different language. Second thing is that you can't fail us cause you didn't get what you wanted to watch us do in the first place, we wrote the script so how come we haft to do it again? So two days from now I haft to write another script, which I am currently making right now as I write, and now my case manager knows about this. And now I'm not sure if my future is looking bright since I might not get the grade that I need in this class.

Just for some background information about this, the teacher is えいご (eigo) sensei. Which means she's an English teacher who learned Japanese at a past time in her life. Now she's at my school and no one thinks she's a good teacher since everything she makes us do is sing and do scripts. The portion of the actual final testing was taken 2 days ago before this incident, if I had known that this guy was gonna do this I would have made this guy write the script with me cause I had a plan going on for it. Now my fault is that I let the guy do it by himself but that does not mean I deserve what she's making us do. But now I don't what's gonna happen since now I'm unsure if I will get the grade I need for this class.

What's your reaction to this and should I worry what's gonna happen?
The point of your test was to show you knew Japanese well enough to write in it. You're mate used a translator that wrote it for him. That's literally the definition of cheating.
 

Transcendence

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Of course that's plagiarism. The point of the class is to apply what you learned. Not write it in English and then have google translate it for you. That defeats the purpose. You should have taken charge against the guy who "wrote" the script. It's not entirely your fault, but you are at fault a bit.
 
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I wouldn't say its plagiarism, your not claiming anyone's work as your own, just like if you use a word out of a dictionary. It's cheating sure, to use it for the entire thing.

There are better online translators and dictionaries though. I still use google translate because its easier to input the characters and get an idea of something, especially if you've got a couple pages to go through. I used to correct the translations but I've given up now, it's that bad.

So many kids use google translate though...
 

chopstickchakra

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Read the post above.
Yeah your teacher gave you a second chance to prove you could write in Japanese BECAUSE the other guy did the script on his own. I bet his mother didn't get that call. Read my above post, the point of the test was to show whether you could write in Japanese, using translate defeats the point. It's not really plagiarism but it's still cheating, your teacher was right.
 

Silverforsakenhamster

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Yeah your teacher gave you a second chance to prove you could write in Japanese BECAUSE the other guy did the script on his own. I bet his mother didn't get that call. Read my above post, the point of the test was to show whether you could write in Japanese, using translate defeats the point. It's not really plagiarism but it's still cheating, your teacher was right.
Well today, my teacher postponed the make-ups. Cause she was sick. And my point is that I didn't do the cheating, it was the guy's fault not mine. I've should've checked on how he was doing it and he should've showed everyone what he was doing. It's not fair that he did this to a group of 4 people. I understand it's cheating but I wasn't the one cheating. I literally spent an hour with my tutor making a new script to prove that I would have done it if he had let me.
 
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