Media: Language Learning versus Language (Translation) Technology
Among calls for multilingualism, support for bilingual education, and
education in foreign language, there is also the rising trend of
language technology. It is debatable whether society is moving toward
more dependent on technology, but these multiple dynamics call into
question the value of learning a language for the sake of
Just a sample of the many calls for prioritizing language learning:
Fox News reports that NASA is now requiring astronauts to have a
level of proficiency in Russian.
Dr. Anthony Seldon warns that Great Britain is losing global relevance
because of its aversion to language learning. The article on BBC cites
trends in foreign language study.
There is a movement to prioritize language study in the Republic of
which 'has the highest proportion of citizens in the EU who say they do
know any other language apart from their native tongue.' Perhaps
is the ambivalent responses of people 'on the street' given at the
the Irish Times article.
And finally, Forbes Insights published the results of their study, which
that overwhelmingly businesses and companies rely on ad hoc
overcome language barriers.
On the other side:
Facebook announces today a new inline translator that sources
Bing to automatically translate content of the site into a specific
I don't wish to present a false dichotomy, but with the improvement of
language technology, you cannot deny that some would now question
need to study a language, if the Internet is able to translate (decently)
much less human effort. With the Facebook example, it is no longer
necessary (although of course the option exists) to know any foreign
languages at all to understand friends' multilingual posts. Even long
treatises and articles can be translated. On the other hand, there are
many domains in which the Internet is not readily available, such as
spontaneous conversation or places without Internet access.
|Date Posted:||October 06, 2011|