This study examined how EFL university students at two institutions in Vietnam utilized Google Translate and Imtranslator for English language acquisition. A mixed method was deployed to collect data. In particular, 138 participants filled out a questionnaire and 20 random students participated in semi-structured interviews. The quantitative and qualitative results revealed that every student owned a smartphone and frequently utilized Google Translate and Imtranslator. They primarily used the applications to translate single words and difficult paragraphs. Although the participants appreciated the convenience of the applications, they reported that the translations were not always accurate and occasionally led to sloth in language acquisition. Moreover, respondents did not rely much on applications to acquire grammar structures. In addition, the study concludes with recommendations for language instructors to help their students use translation apps more effectively.