Language Learning May Become Obsolete: Will People Bother to Learn Language in the Future?

Nowadays, being a speaker of multiple languages is considered as a part of intellectuality. Speaking a foreign language in both professional and social life allows you to leave a positive impact on people. But will language learning, which is considered quite necessary and important at the moment, be able to maintain its importance in the future? With the development of technology, we sense that a different era has begun in every aspect of our lives. Especially in recent years, the sudden emergence of artificial intelligence technology has brought many alterations in our lives with it. The ability of AI to handle language-related tasks in a rapid way is the most prominent of these changes. So, the advancements of artificial intelligence in the field of language are causing people to question if language skills are no longer necessary. In this article, we will be analyzing whether it is worth learning a foreign language in the near future. If you're ready, let's dive into this topic!

What Do Business People Who Have Introduced Technology to Us Think About Language Learning?

Before reviewing the ideas of important businessmen such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Bill Gates about language learning, I should share with you the information that none of them tried to become fluent in a foreign language in their lives. So it is possible to say that these technology leaders, who enable technology tools to work in language related fields, do not consider learning a language as an important skill.?

However, Bill Gates gave an interview in 2015 where he said he feels pretty stupid because he doesn’t know any foreign languages. According to his confession, he gives some importance to language learning, but we guess that idea is not enough for him to make himself learn a foreign language. On the other hand, Elon Musk believes that new technological tools could render human language obsolete in as few as five years. In other words, he foresees that language learning will become history in the near future. Although Elon Musk thinks exactly the opposite, we know that language learning is not a feature that technological tools can completely take away from people any time soon. Because it seems unlikely that technology will provide us with everything that the language learning process imparts. Now let's take a look at the benefits of learning a language which are irreplaceable for us.

Learning a Language Restructures Your Brain

Many studies have proven that the process of language learning has a lot of positive effects on the human brain. Even bilingual people who learn two languages at an early age have a different brain structure. Studies show that learning a second language activates particular parts of your brain. Also language learning teaches your brain to be adaptable and flexible. Because the challenges you face while learning a new language help you to develop and force your brain to find solutions. Language learning also improves your attention span. In other words, learning a language gives your brain a workout. Numerous studies indicate that people's attention spans are getting shorter by the day, thus choosing to pick up a new language could be the solution. According to recent studies, people's attention spans have shrunk from twelve to eight seconds on average. This research also indicates that picking up a new language aids in the brain's ability to focus and filter out distractions.?

Learning a Second Language Improves Your First Language

Some studies in this field show that you become more aware of your first language as you gain more expertise in the second language. Learning a new language enables you to give names to the things you picked up on an instinctive level when learning your first language, even though earlier you couldn't quite define the abstract laws and linguistic structure. You also learn about the distinctions between the two languages' structures, vocabulary, grammar, idioms, and sentence structures. Each of these elements can help you become more skilled in your native language.

Learning a New Language Boosts Your Self-Esteem

Speaking with a native speaker in their language gives you a sense of confidence that nothing else can match. Your self-esteem will be at its highest at that point. Learning a language proficiently is similar to learning any other skill. You'll feel confident and good about yourself once you get there. So, no artificial intelligence tool can replace these wonderful feelings that people experience while learning a new language.

There's No Reason For People to Give Up on Language Learning in the Near Future

In this article, we talked about what benefits the process of learning a new language provides for people. Gaining fluency in a second language is an excellent self-investment that offers a multitude of advantages, ranging from improving cognitive functioning to expanding professional prospects and promoting cross-cultural communication. You can get a deeper knowledge and appreciation for different perspectives and cultures by using language to travel the world. So learning a new language offers people a lot more amazing experiences than artificial intelligence technology can provide. But that doesn't mean you won't take advantage of artificial intelligence technology in your language education. Using the comprehensive analytical capabilities of artificial intelligence tools, it is possible to speed up your language learning journey.

With FLAI, an artificial intelligence tool developed by an online English course named Flalingo, you can get support from AI in language learning. FLAI records your strengths and flaws during your one-on-one tutoring sessions with qualified instructors and generates a summary report at the conclusion of each class. With this report that you get at the end of every class, you can improve your language skills quickly with effective practices. Make your language learning dreams come true with Flalingo, which provides a perfect blend of traditional and modern language learning methods.