The objective of this study is to identify the linguistic and intercultural needs of tour guide trainees as a foundation for developing integrative communicative competence through English for Specific Purposes (ESP) materials that promote intercultural awareness. The trainees, who are currently at the A1 proficiency level, exhibit a rudimentary understanding of the intercultural aspects pertinent to tourists. This deficiency manifests in a conspicuous lack of self-assurance and proficiency in English communication. This case prompted an analysis of their specific learning needs. A qualitative case study was conducted, involving 23 trainees and one senior tour guide at Prambanan Temple. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The findings indicate that the primary need for trainees is the development of effective communication skills, particularly in listening and speaking, through materials that integrate linguistic competence and intercultural awareness. The analysis identified grammar and pronunciation as the most essential linguistic elements, while intercultural communication was deemed the most crucial cultural aspect. Consequently, ESP materials for tour guides should integrate B1-level English proficiency with intercultural understanding to prepare them for effective professional communication in global tourism contexts.
This study examines how a short news report organizes campaign action, public health conditions, and attributed assessments through Theme–Rheme choices. The data are the complete prose body of Phil Mercer’s VOA report on an Australian COVID-19 vaccination campaign, published on 25 June 2022. An inventory of 30 finite clause units distinguishes reporter narration, dependent and reported content, relative constructions, and direct speech. Descriptive counts are restricted to 15 well-formed independent clauses in reporter narration: 13 have unmarked topical Themes and two have marked circumstantial Themes; 13 have simple Themes and two have multiple Themes. Close analysis extends beyond these counts to thematic development, numerical comparisons, source attribution, modality, and evaluative language. The report repeatedly moves between institutional responses and adverse health conditions. Circumstantial openings frame campaign action and unequal vaccination coverage, while concessive relations preserve caution alongside an account of improvement. Direct speech adds explicit commitment and intensified assessments that a count of reporter clause openings would obscure. The findings demonstrate how relatively simple thematic composition can coexist with substantial evaluative positioning. They support a bounded interpretation of one historical text, rather than claims about audience comprehension, journalistic impartiality, or campaign effectiveness. A complete clause inventory makes the analytical decisions available for inspection.
The current debate in translation pedagogy highlights the gap between learners’ general language proficiency and the demands of professional translation, particularly in maintaining terminological consistency. This study investigates how terminology management contributes to the development of student translators’ competence in technology-mediated translation contexts. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA framework, analyzing 23 selected studies published between 2021 and early 2026. The findings indicate that terminology management functions as an integrative competence connecting linguistic knowledge, technological literacy, and professional practice. Students’ difficulties in maintaining consistent terminology are often associated with limited terminological awareness and insufficient exposure to structured professional workflows, while corpus-based resources and AI-assisted technologies support both learning and evaluation. However, technological integration still requires critical human supervision when automated outputs are evaluated. These findings suggest that translation pedagogy, particularly in English language education and translator-training contexts, should prioritize structured terminology instruction supported by digital resources to better prepare students for professional translation practice.
This study investigates how Indonesian EFL learners are supported by group work interactions during study abroad at an Australian university. The study employed a descriptive qualitative design, driven by the Interaction Hypothesis, the Output Hypothesis, and Sociocultural Theory. Data were collected from a questionnaire completed by 15 graduate students. The questionnaire consisted of 19 Likert items and three open-ended questions addressing performance, learning opportunities, and language comprehension. Open-ended responses were discussed qualitatively with little inference, while Likert-type results were summarized descriptively. Regular group work increased speaking opportunities, enhanced lexical acquisition through peer modeling and simple explanations, and encouraged metacognitive regulation, as well as boosting communicative confidence. However, perceived gains in complexity and accuracy were inconsistent, reflecting differing perspectives on corrective feedback, unequal psychological safety, and challenges arising from peer dominance and peer grouping. Maximum benefits may be obtained when roles equalize access to task scope, tasks require joint approval, feedback is delivered through self-respect-preserving scripts, brief planning–monitoring–evaluation checkpoints are inserted, and peer networks extend beyond nationality-based circles. This study explains how peer interactions are transformed by modified input, encouraged output, and mediated participation in a multilingual and multicultural higher education environment by centering lived experiences and identifying sociocultural moderators.
This study examined how Indonesian EFL undergraduates interpreted English literature by integrating affective stylistics, mood–tone analysis, and cultural contrast into a unified interpretive framework. Employing a qualitative interpretive case study, data were collected from 24 literature majors in North Sumatra through close-reading tasks, think-aloud protocols, and semi-structured interviews. All instruments underwent expert validation and interrater reliability checks to ensure consistency in affective and tonal coding. Data were analyzed thematically to trace how students’ cognitive-affective responses unfolded during real-time reading. Using selected passages from Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hunger Games, the findings revealed three systematic distortions: affective misalignment, marked by reduced emotional cues; tonal misclassification, where markers of probability were interpreted as certainty; and moral domestication, marked by the simplification of ethical ambiguity into binary judgments. These patterns demonstrated an affective cultural overlay, in which readers unconsciously replaced foreign affective cues with culturally familiar ones. The study underscored the need for pedagogical interventions that foster interpretive flexibility and minimize culturally driven misreadings.
