Let’s not get lost in translation: why learning a language is a good thing

At this point, it may sound redundant to say that Large Language Models (LLMs) can now generate text: by feeding these models with billions of texts from all over the world, they can express themselves better than most people.

Converting the written into the spoken word is relatively simple, and can be done with a simple voice-over or algorithms capable of subtle intonation. It is enough to experiment with tools such as HeyGen, an AI video generator capable of animating a photograph and making it speak in any language, to realize that it is now possible to render just about any language. It has been three years since Zoom acquired the German company Karlsruhe Information Technology Solutions, or Kites, which makes it possible, in a reasonable but not error-free way, to hold videoconferences with people who speak a different language.

But does this mean that we should give up on the idea of learning languages, given that we will undoubtedly have machines capable of performing instantaneous, quality translations? Should the arrival of technologies reminiscent of Star Trek’s Universal Translator spell the end of language teaching in schools and universities?

The number of foreign language students in the United States and elsewhere is declining: total enrollment in…