DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

If AI can translate in record time, why learn another language?

2026-05-25 12:13:29Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
If AI can translate in record time, why learn another language?
OpenAI, Meta, Google

From live speech translation on video calls to automatic dubbing on TikTok, the technology to break down language barriers has arrived.

Real-time translation powered by artificial intelligence (AI) is now integrated into everyday life.

Tools from OpenAI, Meta, Google , and many others now offer near-instant translation in dozens of languages, and they continue to improve.

All of this raises a vital question. If technology can do this faster and more accurately than humans, is it still worth investing years in learning another language?

Logic is fascinating. Humans have always transferred cognitive work to tools. Writing reduced the demands on our memory. Calculators removed the burden of mental arithmetic. AI stands within this long tradition. Used well, it can support learning and expand access in ways that matter a lot.

But there's a difference between using a tool to expand your skills and using it to avoid doing something altogether. This distinction becomes important when you're not just replacing a skill, but a form of cognitive and cultural engagement.

Effort plays a central role in how we acquire knowledge.

Psychologists use the phrase “desirable difficulty” to describe challenges that may seem ineffective but produce stronger long-term retention and understanding.

Struggling with grammar, finding the right word, or constructing meaning in multiple languages ​​engages brain networks that support memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility. Over time, they consolidate knowledge much more deeply than passive exposure.

Sustained mental engagement contributes to what researchers call cognitive resilience—the brain's ability to maintain function as we age.

Managing multiple languages ​​is a form of this engagement. It requires the brain to resolve 'competition', monitor context, and dynamically adapt.

These are not trivial requirements. And they are difficult to achieve if you simply use translation tools passively, such as figuring out the meaning of a foreign phrase with the click of a button.

Evidence on multilingualism is often presented as a simple “bilingual advantage,” a shorthand that obscures a more complex picture. Some studies report benefits for attention or memory, while others find no differences. The truth seems to be more selective.

Separate population-level research has linked multilingualism to later onset of Alzheimer's disease and better overall aging outcomes, although the mechanisms remain debated.

However, in general, it seems that the continuous use of multiple languages ​​represents a form of mental activity with effects that accumulate throughout life.

AI translation excels in speed and accessibility. For many practical purposes, it works remarkably well. But it works through pattern recognition, not through lived meaning. It can struggle with cultural context, humor, register, and emotionally embedded meaning, especially for underrepresented languages.

At best, AI captures the literal dimensions of language, while missing the social ones.

This is the most profound difference: translation is not the same as participation. Learning a language involves understanding how people think, their values, and how meaning is shaped by context and history. This cultural literacy is developed through interaction and experience. We cannot delegate this entirely to systems that translate on demand.

AI will continue to change the way we engage with language learning. It can personalize instruction, minimize barriers, and provide feedback at scale.

 What it can't do is replace the cognitive and cultural work that comes from learning a language. That work leads to a deeper relationship with how other people see the world and how you express yourself. And that change still matters./ As


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×