By Federica Lupis, https://www.federicalupis.com/
Author of "Fluent On The First Try" and "Why You're Not Fluent and How To Fix It"
Language trainer, interpreter and translator.
Not long ago, I was making small talk at a party.
In the space of five minutes, Mr X had already asked the most burning questions: 'So how do you know Y? How long have you been in Australia? What do you do?'
I was keen to start asking some questions when Mr X said: ‘Oh. So you teach languages. Don’t you think learning languages will become obsolete?’
I burst out laughing and thought Mr X would laugh too, but he didn’t. The guy was being serious.
At that point, visibly confused, I muttered: ‘What do you mean?’
Mr X shared his knowledge on the latest technological developments in language learning, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink. I listened in awe, wondering if one day Mr Musk will be able to get us to travel through the phone lines like in the Matrix.
As he spoke, Mr X looked as excited as a child who found the keys to a candy shop: ‘So what do you think?’ he asked.
This time I smiled: ‘I don’t think learning languages will ever become obsolete.’
Mr X was surprised, but we ended up having an interesting conversation; much more interesting than remarking how cold the weather has been or how hot the guy in Bridgerton is…
In this article, I’ll share with you why I think that language learning will survive the rise of AI.
1. It may seem cool…until you try it.
Have you ever seen a conference room where everyone speaks their language, and it gets translated into multiple languages via a headset in a matter of seconds? Sounds pretty cool, right?
I used to get so excited when I saw it on TV. I thought, ‘Maybe one day, I’ll be able to travel the world and understand everyone in their language with one click!’
This was before I tried it.
My friend’s mum came over to Australia from Hong Kong, and I was thrilled to meet her. I don’t speak Cantonese, but I thought that Google Translate would be a great way of communicating…
After five minutes, I felt like I was listening to a zombie guide into a museum. It felt awkward and unnatural, and it didn’t seem like either of us was enjoying it.
The best part was that we didn’t even need to use Google Translate to decide what to do next. We looked at each other and put our phones away. Then we started speaking our languages, moving our hands and mimicking actions like in a game of Charades.
We had the best time!
Communication wasn’t perfect, but neither of us wanted to give up on the connection that can only be built when you talk to each other without a machine in the way.
Which brings me to the next point…
2. Machines can’t translate emotions.
I’m Italian, and sometimes I feel like I speak more with my hands and eyes than I do with words. The same sentence could have ten different meanings depending on the arching of my eyebrows, the smirks of my lips and the shaking of my hands.
How is a machine going to translate all of that?
No matter where we are from, we all use movements and facial expressions to clarify a message. This is part of being human, and it is what makes us different from a machine.
Now imagine going on a holiday and relying on a machine to talk to the locals. You probably won’t have any issues asking for the bill and finding the nearest bank, but is that all you really want to do with a foreign language?
Don’t you want to make friends? Learn more about other cultures? And see things from the point of view of the locals?
Relying on a machine will come at the expense of human contact and emotions. It will never be anywhere close to speaking to someone in their language.
And finally, if I still haven’t convinced you…
3. What if the power goes out?
When my partner and I climbed Machu Picchu, a friend in our group badly twisted his ankle.
We had no phones with us and had no idea who to call and what to do.
Fortunately, the road wasn’t far, so we headed towards it and stopped a bus full of tourists leaving the track.
The bus driver only spoke Spanish, so I quickly told him what was going on, and in a matter of seconds, our friend was on the bus to the nearest clinic.
What would have happened if no one could speak Spanish?
Sure, we could have played a game of Charades with the driver, but sometimes you just don’t have time.
Suppose you have an emergency while overseas – touch wood, it never happens – and your phone’s battery runs out, or the Internet is not working. What are you going to do?
Technology can make our life easier, but I think it’s best not to rely on it completely. At least until machines don’t need batteries to work and are able to express emotions and change their facial expressions – at that point, we may have bigger concerns!
To sum it up, I believe technology will make it easier to communicate in different languages, but I can’t see electronic devices replacing language learning altogether.
A machine may help us check-in at the airport or ask for a coffee in our language. However, due to the complexity of human communication, I don’t think machines will ever make language learning obsolete.
Now, before I leave you, I’d like to make a request:
Dear Mr Musk,
I don’t know if you are already accepting requests for Christmas, but if you could make teleportation happen, it would be greatly appreciated.
I hope my views on AI haven’t compromised our friendly relationship.
I’ll still leave a cornetto and cappuccino on the table near the fireplace for you.
With my sincere admiration
Federica
Thanks for reading!
I’ll catch you all soon!
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