a review on the situation of the online efl and translator training courses during the covid-19 crisis

Since the winter of 2019, the outbreak of covid-19 disease around the world has faced people with many challenges in various aspects of their lives. meanwhile, the educational system is not exempted and has undergone many forced changes, the most important of which is the mandatory shift to online education. this article aims at providing a brief but comprehensive outlook on the situation of online efl and translation courses and their challenges during the covid-19 crisis by reviewing published literature from 2019 to 2022. to this end, the related data was collected from 'google scholar'. finally, among the thousands of studies conducted in relation to online education in this period, 40 published articles related to online efl and translation courses were selected. notwithstanding that in some cases, the studies show different results in terms of teachers' and students' perceptions, the overall findings indicate that both students and teachers believe that online education has its own pros and cons, although the students' attitude is more positive. furthermore, the challenges and barriers faced by students and teachers can be divided into six general groups as follows: pedagogical (e.g., teaching methods, assessment methods, learning processes, limited resources, packaging of material, exams); technological (e.g., internet connection, access to computer, laptop, and smart phone, supporting facilities, proper and up to date infrastructures such as platforms, applications, and programs); psychological (e.g., engagement, motivation, willingness, self-control); administrative (e.g., efficiency and effectiveness, self-efficacy, absence of goals); communicative (e.g., inactivity, less direct interaction); and health (e.g., physical condition, eyestrain) concerns. this study would be helpful for researchers interested in the topic as well as for universities, and educational institutions which have the power and authority to minimize the challenges and problems to help teachers and students experience a better and more efficient online course. however, further studies are needed.