Is tech making learning foreign languages obsolete?
| wouldn't exactly say my French has been going well. A few decades after I left behind my high school language requirement, I decided recently it was time to take another crack. But while my travels over the last few years have made me as grateful for Google Translate as I am to be a native English speaker — they've also made me painfully, embarrassedly aware of how uniquely monolingual so many Americans (1)____________.
New technology in the form of Apps and tools offering real-time translation have simplified the world so much that we don't really need to learn other languages anymore. Perhaps we can compare it to what the calculator (2)____________ for math equations. Why then am I doing it? Even if in theory I could with great and focused effort someday become not entirely embarrassing in my French, there's still the question of why bother.
"When you make the effort to learn another person's language, you demonstrate respect.” Arturs Peha, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the translation service Skrivanek, acknowledges that "Technology has revolutionized communication, enabling us to bridge linguistic barriers more easily than ever before,” but he also makes the case for the human touch. "Leaming a language goes beyond mere communication,” he says. "It fosters empathy, cultural appreciation, and a sense of belonging.”
“When you make the effort to leam another person's language, you demonstrate respect for their culture and a willingness to engage on a deeper level. I speak four different languages.” Peha adds, "I can genuinely say that people talk and treat me very differently when I communicate with them in their native language compared to when I use a lingua franca or rely on a translation App.” Al (Artificial Intelligence) and Apps have made translation easier and more accurate than ever, but won't replace the value of the real thing.
Adapted from https://www.salon.com/2024/02/10/is-tech-making-leaming-foreign-languages-obsolete/
Choose the alternative with verbs that correctly and respectively complete gaps (1) and (2).