AI翻訳と外国語学習

In recent years, the accuracy of AI translation has improved greatly. We have reached an age in which you can simply speak to a smartphone app and have it translate into a foreign language, and some people have begun to think "there is no longer any need to study foreign languages." In fact, it is not unusual for people going abroad to prepare a translation app before a guidebook. But is that really so? Certainly, AI translation is very useful in short conversations such as travel and shopping. In situations where it is enough for the meaning to get across, it is probably more efficient than deliberately spending a long time studying a foreign language. Also, because the trouble of looking things up in a dictionary is saved, the speed of reading foreign-language texts has increased too. In business settings too, more people draft emails with a translation app. On the other hand, AI translation also has limits. For example, in Japanese the subject is often omitted, and if it is translated as it is, it can become unclear who did what. Because the meaning of the same word changes with the situation, the translation chosen by AI can also sound unnatural. Also, it is still difficult to convey accurately the feelings behind words, such as jokes, irony and consideration for the other person. To judge whether an answer produced by AI is correct, in the end you yourself need a certain amount of language ability as well. Moreover, studying a foreign language has a value that cannot be obtained through translation. In the process of learning a language, you come into contact with the way of thinking and culture of that country's people, and your own view widens. The joy of being able to talk directly with someone in your own words also becomes a major motivation. Also, the attitude of trying to listen to the other person to the end and the courage to ask about what you do not understand, which you acquire in the process of learning a language, are important strengths too. In fact, there is a survey result that people who are learning a foreign language use AI translation more skilfully, because they can notice and fix translation mistakes. Conversely, people who understand no foreign language risk believing a wrong translation as it is. Therefore, it is better to think of AI translation not as a substitute for language study but as a tool to support study. While using a convenient tool skilfully, you also build up your own ability. Isn't that the way to relate to foreign languages in the coming era?