Is it still necessary to learn a foreign language?

Dear Editor,

With the improvements in online translation applications and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in this technology era zeitgeist, I’ve been asking myself a rather unusual question lately: Is it still important for people to learn foreign languages?

This question might seem odd coming from someone who has spent years honing his Spanish skills, who has studied in Chile, who is an educator, and who is an author of Spanish books. However, it’s a serious question with which I’ve been grappling for weeks.

A huge part of my thinking comes from my personal experience living in Japan for years and relying heavily — despite knowing of its flaws — on the Google Translate app. I made no serious efforts to learn the language, partly because I was able to survive knowing basic Japanese and using the aforementioned app.

Another reason I’ve been contemplating why learning foreign languages is at all relevant is because of the significant improvements I’ve seen with the production of foreign languages on online apps, particularly with Spanish. While none of these apps are perfect, I believe that the Spanish is often solid enough for native speakers of the language to understand fully and for communication to be achieved.

Notwithstanding these thoughts, I still strongly believe that people should learn the language themselves for a number of reasons. One of the main ones is that research shows that learning a foreign language can help to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Furthermore, there are some nuances to learning languages that even some of the best online language-learning applications are not yet able to capture. In this regard, then, I think it is better to learn a foreign language. Still, artificial intelligence (AI) and many online learning platforms have not replaced the deep understanding of cultures that go hand in hand with learning languages and understanding human communication.

According to the World Economic Forum, AI won’t replace human translators and interpreters just yet. Also, despite AI, jobs in translation are aplenty. So people who are in those fields as well as those wishing to pursue a career in these areas need not worry.

My final argument is that I believe it is better to learn foreign languages because of the many benefits it affords; however, I also contend that people can benefit from employing AI and other supplemental language learning tools to help them to better communicate using foreign languages. AI cannot replace all the skills and provide all the benefits one gets from learning languages.

Andre C Bruff

Educator

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