Will AI Translators and Interpreters Dream of Language Lists?

I watched the monument valleys of the technological holy land pass by. The structures weren’t oppressively tall. Rather like sheets of steel and glass tucked deep into lush gardens. Green, yellow, and red bicycles stood against the cement road — some rebellious ones lay across the lawn. We drove past the headquarters of the omnipotent search engine and onto the 101.

“So, what brings you to the Bay Area?” the middle-aged Asian-American man asked.

“I’m on vacation,” I said, as I closed the Uber app on my phone.

“From where?”

“Canada.” I didn’t bother telling him the province or city. Most Americans here were more interested if I could speak JavaScript, Swift, or Python than learning about my hometown. What superfluous information that would be!

Whether out of curiosity or politeness, he did ask about my hometown.

“Are you still in school?” he asked. Another commonly asked question for me. The absence of makeup gave away my youthful, fresh-out-of-university glow.

“No, I graduated and work as a writer and translator,” I said, thankful for that youthfulness.

At the word ‘translator,’ the Asian-American man’s ears perked up.