EMI IN THE AGE OF AI: ALGERIAN LECTURERS CAUGHT BETWEEN COURSE REDESIGN AND MACHINE TRANSLATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46991/AFA/2026.22.1.93Keywords:
EMI, Artificial Intelligence, machine translation, Algerian higher education, course redesign, pedagogical transformation, language policyAbstract
As the Algerian higher education, landscape changes very quickly, the simultaneous rise of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) and AI translation technology has left university lecturers in a pedagogical dilemma. Do they retrain to reproduce and deliver their courses in English based on EMI standards or use AI applications for translating the original lectures? This study employs a qualitative, phenomenological approach, using focus group discussion and in-depth interviews with 30 lecturers from various academic disciplines. It explores the implications of these pedagogical pathways from evidence derived from research in EMI, AI integration, and teacher agency. The research reveals underlying tensions surrounding linguistic accessibility, pedagogical integrity, and the level of institutional preparedness. While AI translation enables rapid content conversion, it often lacks contextual accuracy and fails to effectively engage students. Conversely, EMI alignment curriculum redesign promotes increased language and content integration but requires extensive training and support. The article concludes by outlining strategic implications for a stepwise, pedagogically grounded EMI transition model that uses technology without compromising instructional quality.
Downloads
References
Airey, J. (2012). “I don’t teach language.” The linguistic attitudes of physics lecturers in Sweden. In U. Smit & E. Dafouz (Eds.), Integrating content and language in higher education: Gaining insights into English-medium instruction at European universities (pp. 64–78). Peter Lang.
Airey, J. (2020). The scientific literacy required for participation in the 21st century. In A. L. Sjöström & A. Tyson (Eds.), Teaching science for social justice (pp. 15–33). Springer.
Badran, A., Baytiyeh, H., & Tuqan, M. (2021). Language policy and EMI in Arab higher education: Challenges and prospects. Higher Education Quarterly, 75(4), 585–599. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12292
Bahdanau, D., Cho, K., & Bengio, Y. (2015). Neural machine translation by jointly learning to align and translate. International Conference on Learning Representations. https://arxiv.org/abs/1409.0473
Ball, S. J., & Tyson, R. (2022). Policy enactment in the age of AI: Teacher agency and system constraints. London Review of Education, 20(1), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.20.1.04
Benrabah, M. (2013). Language conflict in Algeria: From colonialism to post-independence. Multilingual Matters.
Costa, F., & Coleman, J. A. (2021). Integrating content and language in higher education: From policy to practice. Language Learning in Higher Education, 11(2), 241–262. https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2021-2004
Dafouz, E., & Smit, U. (2020). ROAD-MAPPING English-medium education in the internationalised university. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23463-8
Dearden, J. (2015). English as a medium of instruction: A growing global phenomenon. British Council.
Doiz, A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2022). Analysing implementation in EMI: Teachers’ practices and constraints. System, 107, Article 102803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102803
Galloway, N., Ruegg, R., & Tominaga, L. (2020). A critical analysis of English medium instruction in Japanese universities. System, 91, Article 102271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102271
García, I. (2011). Translating by post-editing: Is it the way forward? Machine Translation, 25(3), 217–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10590-011-9115-8
Gürsoy, E., Korkmaz, Ş. Ç., & Yıldız, S. (2023). Perceptions of EMI lecturers in Turkish higher education: Navigating between policy and practice. Language Teaching Research, 27(1), 35–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/¬13621688221-091234
Hamid, M. O., Nguyen, H. T. M., & Khan, A. (2023). The policy–practice gap in EMI: Voices from non-native English-speaking academics. Current Issues in Language Planning, 24(2), 189–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.-2023.2187654
Kenny, D. (2022). Artificial intelligence in translation: Promise, pitfalls, and pedagogy. Translation and Interpreting Studies, 17(2), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.21028.ken
Kruger, H. A., & van Rooyen, M. (2020). Human and machine translation in academic contexts: Competence and quality. The Translator, 26(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2020.1718021
Lasagabaster, D. (2023). EMI in higher education: The challenges of teacher training and professional development. Language Teaching Research, 27(2), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231101234
Macaro, E. (2018). English medium instruction: Content and language in policy and practice. Oxford University Press.
Macaro, E., Curle, S., Pun, J., An, J., & Dearden, J. (2018). A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education. Language Teaching, 51(1), 36–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444817000350
Moorkens, J. (2020). Ethics and machine translation. In D. Kenny (Ed.), Machine translation for everyone: Empowering users in the age of artificial intelligence (pp. 121–140). Language Science Press.
Munday, J. (2022). Translation and ethical considerations in the age of AI. Perspectives, 30(2), 165–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2022.2043458
Ouarniki, O. (2023). Exploring teachers' perspectives on the implementation of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Algerian higher education institutions: Challenges and opportunities. Afaq for Sciences, 8(3), 176–192. Retrieved from https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/223062
Pym, A. (2023). Language technology and pedagogical integrity: Recalibrating translation in EMI. Translation Spaces, 12(1), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.21025.pym
Rico, C., & Torrejón, E. (2021). MT in academic settings: Ethical dilemmas and practical solutions. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 15(3), 287–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2021.1961098
Tsagari, D., & Floros, G. (2022). The role of translation in EMI: A pedagogical loophole or strategic tool? Language Assessment Quarterly, 19(2), 151–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2022.2045089
Vinay, J. P., & Darbelnet, J. (2021). Comparative stylistics of French and English: A methodology for translation (J. Sager & M. Hamel, Trans.). John Benjamins.
Wächter, B., & Maiworm, F. (2014). English-taught programmes in European higher education: The state of play in 2014. Lemmens Medien GmbH.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ouafa Ouarniki, Houda Boumediene
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
