Creative Translation Training of Social Media Content for Senior High School Students to Foster Digital Literacy: An Educational Community Service Intervention

Abstract

The increasing use of social media and the high consumption of foreign-language content by high school students demand improved digital literacy and the ability to understand and translate information creatively and contextually. Therefore, creative translation training aims to address this understanding gap and support innovative learning activities. This activity aims to improve the creative translation skills and digital literacy of SMAN 19 Makassar students, especially grade XII, through applicable and contextual training. In addition, this program seeks to empower English and ICT teachers in integrating technology-based learning approaches and establishing a collaborative learning ecosystem to support 21st-century competencies. The activity is implemented face-to-face with a participatory and hands-on approach (workshop) with 33 students. The activity begins with a preparation phase (coordination with the school, participant recruitment, and module development), followed by a 2–3-day intensive training session that includes an introduction to the concept of creative translation, social media content analysis, translation techniques, and digital ethics, as well as a mini-translation project. It concludes with evaluation through pre- and post-tests, presentations of work, and follow-up mentoring to strengthen the training outcomes. The evaluation results showed significant improvements in all competency indicators, and the training resulted in an approximately 80–90% improvement in participants’ creative translation skills and digital literacy. Moreover, the participants’ satisfaction was above 80%, which showed that the training strategy was highly relevant, practical, and effective in improving the students’ English communication skills, digital literacy, and knowledge of digital ethics. The conclusion is that this training activity successfully achieved its goal of improving digital literacy and creative translation skills among students of SMAN 19 Makassar. The practical approach integrated with technology and the context of social media proved effective in improving students' language skills and digital ethics.