Tools and AI
Translation, Grammar Tools, and AI: Check the Rules First
Use this page when you want to use a dictionary, a translation tool, a grammar checker, or AI on an assignment.
Two things to check before you use a tool
You probably use tools for language every day: a translation app, spell check, a dictionary, or an AI chat tool such as Microsoft Copilot. In college, the rules for these tools can change from one assignment to the next. Before you use a tool on an assignment, check two things.
1. The AI use label
At OCTC, each assignment has an AI use label at the top of its directions. Your instructor’s AI Course Policy in the syllabus has the rules for the whole course. There are three labels:
| Label | In short | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| No AI | Practice on your own. | You do the work without AI. The skill itself is what you are practicing. |
| AI-supported | You lead. AI supports. | You may use AI for the parts your instructor names. The thinking and the final work are yours. |
| AI-integrated | Using AI is part of the task. | Using AI well is part of the assignment. Your instructor tells you how. |
For more about the labels and the 3 Qs to ask each time you use AI, see AI Literacy: Start Where You Are (opens in a new tab).
2. The rules for language tools
The label is about AI. It does not always tell you about a dictionary, spell check, or a translation tool. Look for a separate line in the directions, often called Tools. If you cannot find one, ask your instructor.
- AI use label:
- the line at the top of an assignment that says how you may use AI on it.
- Translation tool:
- an app or website that changes text from one language to another.
- Grammar checker:
- a tool that marks possible errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
- Rewrite:
- to write a sentence again in different words. Many tools now offer to rewrite your sentences for you.
One question for any tool: who leads?
Some tools give you information, and you decide what to write. Other tools write for you. Ask yourself: Am I leading, or is the tool leading?
| What you do | Who leads? | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Look up a word in a dictionary | You | The Tools line. A few assignments, such as some vocabulary quizzes, do not allow it. |
| Use spell check to find errors, then fix them yourself | You | The Tools line. |
| Translate part of a reading to understand it | You | The Tools line. Many instructors allow this, but ask if the directions do not say. |
| Listen to a reading with text-to-speech | You | The Tools line. If you use it as an approved accommodation, follow your accommodation. |
| Translate your own writing into English | The tool | The AI use label and the Tools line. The tool writes the English sentences. |
| Click “rewrite” or accept a suggested new sentence | The tool | The AI use label. A tool that rewrites your sentences counts as AI, even if it calls itself a grammar or translation tool. |
| Ask Copilot to explain a grammar rule | You | The AI use label. On a No AI assignment, ask a tutor instead. |
When a tool rewrites your sentences, it can change your meaning, and the words are no longer yours. Your instructor wants to read your ideas in your words. Small errors in your own sentences are part of learning.
Example: assignment directions with a label and a Tools line
Here is the top of one set of assignment directions. Each number matches a note below.
AI use: AI-supported.1 You may use Copilot to brainstorm topic ideas and to explain grammar rules.2 Your essay must be written in your own words.3
Tools: You may use a dictionary, spell check, and a translation tool to understand the readings.4 Do not use a translation tool or a rewriting tool on your essay.5
- The label. AI-supported means you lead and AI supports. It does not mean every use of AI is allowed.
- The allowed uses. The directions name two uses. Other uses, such as asking Copilot to write a paragraph, are not allowed.
- What stays yours. The writing itself is your work.
- The Tools line. This line answers the questions the label does not: dictionary, spell check, and translation.
- The limit. Translating a reading to understand it is allowed. Translating your essay is not, because the tool would write the English sentences.
Language focus: saying exactly what you want to use a tool for
to + verb, or for + noun
A specific question gets a specific answer. When you ask about a tool, say what you want to use it for. English has two common patterns for this.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| use [tool] to + base verb | May I use a translation tool to understand the article? |
| use [tool] for + noun | May I use Copilot for brainstorming? |
| use [tool] for + noun | Is a dictionary allowed for the vocabulary quiz? |
Do not put for and to together. Write I used a dictionary to check the meaning. Do not write “I used a dictionary for to check the meaning.”
Compare a general question and a specific one:
- General: Can I use AI?
- Specific: May I use Copilot to explain the grammar comments on my draft if I make the changes myself?
Sentence starters
Fill in each blank with your own words.
- To ask about a toolMay I use to for this assignment?Is it OK to use for ?
- When the directions do not sayProfessor , the directions for do not mention . Would it be OK to use it to if I myself?
- To check your understandingJust to check: I may use for the readings, but not for my writing. Is that right?
Practice
- Who leads: you or the tool?
- A. You paste your paragraph into a translation app and copy the English version.
- B. You look up the word “hypothesis” in a dictionary.
- C. A grammar tool offers a new version of your sentence, and you click “Accept.”
- An assignment says “AI use: No AI.” It has no Tools line. You want to use a dictionary. What should you do?
- Make this question more specific: “Can I use translation?”
- Correct this sentence: “I used Copilot for to explain the rule.”
Show suggested answers
- A: the tool. B: you. C: the tool. In A and C, the tool writes the sentences. In B, the dictionary gives you information, and you decide what to write.
- Ask your instructor. The label is about AI. It does not say whether a dictionary is allowed. A short question before you start is easy to answer.
- One possible answer: “May I use a translation tool to understand the second reading?” It names the tool, the purpose, and the part of the work. Other answers are possible.
- I used Copilot to explain the rule. Use to + base verb, or for + noun, but not both: I used Copilot for an explanation of the rule.
Next step
Before you use any tool on an assignment
- Find the AI use label at the top of the directions.
- Find the Tools line, if there is one.
- Ask yourself: am I leading, or is the tool leading?
- If the directions do not answer your question, ask your instructor before you start.
- If you use a tool in a significant way, write it down in your writing record.