Let’s face it, we are a communicating species. If we weren’t, no one would be reading this (maybe no one is, Lorna). Leaving aside for now the demographic which chooses not to speak to anyone, we generally thrive on fresh interactions and making that valuable connection, not just intellectually, but also physiologically, with the proven benefits of Vitamin S (for regular readers, see “Smoking causes Coughing”).
I have just come back from Rhodes, where I could easily live, and for me that would entail learning Greek; not just “two Aperol please” (got that licked), but really learning it so that I would be able to engage with the locals, the culture, and show my respect by making an effort to fit in.
This desire to learn a new language, however, is waning fast amongst the world’s population because of, you guessed it, AI. It is becoming increasingly common for people to speak into a smartphone in one language and have it communicated to a recipient in another. No effort required whatsoever, and utter reliance on its veracity, I might add, speaking as one who has been the recipient of hilariously mis-translated incoming messages.
Fanatics of AI will argue that this ability only enhances our opportunity for cross-cultural communication, and there is certainly substance to that. But oh, what is missing? Speaking another language changes your brain, changes the shape of your mouth as you utter the alien sounds, changes the perception of your listener about who you are and how important it is to make that connection real.
In no particular order, learning a language boosts your academic ability and creativity (1), improves focus, short- and long-term memory (2 & 3), and empathy (4). Typing or dictating a phrase into a smartphone achieves none of the above. We can revel in the joy of communicating more readily in countries where even the alphabet appears to be against us, but a possible trajectory will be a cultural loss and potentially the demise of mixed-race partnerships. Unless they have unlimited data, I guess.
Forgetting, for a moment, the potential diminution of multilingual societies, what utter reliance we have in technology is making us vulnerable. So far, the weaponisation of an electromagnetic pulse has largely been confined to Hollywood movies, but it is increasingly likely it could become the optimal way to cripple communication systems, especially if we can no longer physically talk to our neighbours.
Speaking loudly and slowly in your own language may not endear one to other nationalities, but is an abstract pre-recorded voice from a box much better? Turn the volume up, then they’ll understand you.
(1) Woll et al 2019
(2) Bak et al 2016
(3) Schroeder & Marian 2013
(4) Guiora et all 1972