Invest time in language learning?

alandublin15

ive seen the likes of this online on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2OfQdYrHRs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poy0V_rXPaM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZQMBojJlNs&feature=related

(sorry cant post the videos)

these links show the progress of technology in the area of translation. it seems that technology is moving quite quickly now towards the point of being able to deliver mobile voice/text recognition and translation
(on the likes of iphones)
so in a few years will my learning of a language have been pointless as i can just as easily speak english into my mobile, which ill have in my pocket in any case, and have my words come out in any number of languages.

sNarah

Yes and no.

Yes - you will able to do that, but it will limit the fluency of your conversation because:

No - similar methods have been around for ages: a translator standing next to you, an electronic translator (remember those!?)... meaning you have a pause in conversation when a) translating and b) translating your reply.

Yes - you are able to communicate in a different language BUT it is still limited. Unless this technology becomes so semantic it automatically works as a sort of babelfish in your brain, I cannot say that learning other languages will become unnecessary.

dory

To me, learning a language has nothing to do with simply getting my point across.

It's like how I used always ask my brothers why they wasted their Saturdays watching soccer when they could just check the scores in one minute after.

It's about the buzz I get when I stumble through a conversation with a local and they have understood me. How they feel I've respected them enough to learn their language and not make them always talk in English. I love reading literature in different languages as they was things are said is different. I love speaking other languages, English all the time bores me.

Great article about languages here, endangered ones mostly but also some reasons why it's great some times to speak other tongues: http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2010/11/interview

Aard

I don't think technology will ever fully replace language-learning. An app like that, once properly developed and more reliable, will probably only lead to a decline in phrasebook sales at most.

Your babelfish phone sound like a great idea, but for purposes other than regular communication. It'd be popular maybe with people who need a few phrases, but then again they were never gonna learn the language anyway beyond a few key words and phrases. For anybody who wants to move to another country, say, it'd just be a whole lot easier to learn the language.

And like Dory said above, it's not strictly about getting your idea across. I can easily go into my local bakery and point a croissant. In plain terms, that's really all I went in there for. But in reality, at this stage the baker knows me, she asks me questions and we have a little joke about some inconsequential. I ask for my croissant, and wish her a nice day. For all intents and purposes I've gotten what I wanted (my little pastry) -- so what's the difference? It's pretty clear: community, good-vibes, and a spring in my step. Such an exchange would never be possible with the medium/barrier of technology.

Funglegunk

dory wrote: »

It's about the buzz I get when I stumble through a conversation with a local and they have understood me. How they feel I've respected them enough to learn their language and not make them always talk in English. I love reading literature in different languages as they was things are said is different.

I've only started learning a new language, but when I manage a decent sentence and am understood it is immensely satisfying! Gives you a lot of motivation to continue improving, and more confidence to keep trying. Snowball effect basically!

stoblerone

Would be interested to hear what people think of the Michel Thomas method. I have been using it for Foundation French for the last few weeks and find it great.

Aard

I used Michel Thomas myself for French. I got through the different levels in a month or so, as I had already studied it. I liked it insofar as it gets your basic level up pretty fast. But that's about all it's good for. Even the advanced CDs aren't advanced in the slightest. But as long as you don't have expectations that you'll be any way fluent, you should find them helpful. The important thing is to IMMEDIATELY build on what you're learnt. Find something simple to read (news websites are handy as they're usually short enough), or even better find a French speaker to do a language exchange with. The thing that most don't realise is that after dedicating a significant amount of time to studying, they leave a huge gap before trying the "next step" and have all but forgotten everything they've learnt by the time they decide to do it.

Btw, if you need help with French, there's a French forum in the main Languages section here on Boards.