AI is placing humanized knowledge in a setting where languages are receiving increasing attention and, hence, active study. In countries such as Korea, where multilingual abilities have been regarded as both cultural identity and occupational ability, this could now become a challenge for linguists. AI technologies now provide the opportunity for real-time translation of audio and interpretation services, all of which can stand in for language class requirements in the context of practical communication purposes.
Historical perspective on language learning
The history of language education goes back back to the late 1800s, when so-called public education exploded in Europe and America, coinciding with the establishment and growth of nation-states. To start with, modern languages were taught to replace classical languages, such as Greek and Latin, in the curriculum. This was a move towards making education somewhat useful and related to the daily lives of common people. On the same account, modern languages arrived in Korea during the late 19th century by importing both economic importation as well as the implication of Western imperialism, symbolizing the Chinese language as an elite education ideal while gradually replacing it.
Language education worldwide in the closing decades of the 20th century witnessed a rise in English usage due to the development and use of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the UK as a communication technique, mainly in other non-English speaking countries such as South Korea. On the contrary, the concept was born by globalization as an aid for transmitting a common language, and it ended up serving as a tool for international communication in the economy, a decisive factor in why English became internationally important.
AI and the practicality of language learning
AI applications in fields such as translation and interpretation are forcing a rethinking of the value of language language learning in our lives. AI tools are becoming adept at providing accurate translations on-demand, which poses the question: among others, the most significant issue deals with the possibility of AI taking part in relationships on the people`s behalf; why should individuals put time and effort into learning a new language?
This inventive technology then impairs the primary practical reasons for having language education as the AI proceeds to sever communication gaps down the line at a speed and a way never seen before. In many cases now, either the important parts of the conversation can be made with gestures, or the information transmitted by the languages of the parties involved is much less important than it used to be.
Even though AI can successfully mimic human conversations, an unambiguous reason to go beyond language comprehension is to gain personal and professional linguistic benefits. Similar to math learning being valued for its cognition development instead of just its practical, language learning increases cognitive flexibility, works for the native language better, and also gives insight into different cultures.
Agreed, these deep benefits are reasons learning a language should be considered as one of the parts of holistic education. Exploring languages develops the brain while enhancing appreciation of world views and propagating empathetic and diverse cultural understanding skills that have become vital in a world where there is globalization but rather political tensions.
Future direction in language education
A potential transformation in South Korea pertains to language education, which may be transferred from focusing on English-only business to other languages crucial in geopolitics and economics. Furthermore, given the rise of Asia in international affairs, the existence of languages like Mandarin, Japanese, and Hindi may come up in the economic cycle and socio-cultural dynamics.
AI will transform many other areas that we take for granted, and one of them is the way that computers are beginning to understand and even speak our native tongue. However, even if deep language learning is possible through the use of AI, it should be remembered that humans can still enjoy the cognitive and cultural benefits of learning a foreign language. With the fast-developing interconnectedness of the world, the capability of grasping other cultures’ languages will always have great advantages over artificial intelligence, which cannot duplicate that.
This article originally appeared in The Korea Herald