Within recent years, humanities subjects have felt increasingly threatened by the looming presence of AI. Translators and interpreters are currently experiencing the imminent impact of this technological advancement. Gone are the days of badly translated word-by-word robotic sentences with complete disregard for grammatical nuance. New algorithms are becoming so advanced that they have recently forced me to question the relevancy of my languages degree.
Used effectively and morally, these AI tools do have the potential to foster productive advancements. Not just in the field of translation, but throughout academia. However, its current use feels somewhat uncontrolled and experimental.
Of course, a language graduate’s potential extends beyond the field of translation. Journalism, teaching, diplomacy and marketing are just a handful of sectors in which linguists can thrive. What’s more, translation is intrinsically tied to the publishing industry, which is also undergoing drastic changes. Declining literacy rates across our country demonstrate that this issue extends far beyond the language sector. It is something that should concern all of us. In many ways, the current climate only amplifies the importance of the language degree, which fosters the ability to think critically and independently.
More obvious defences for this degree outline the transferable skills of languages alongside their tangible cognitive benefits. The process of learning and handling foreign languages gives students a more perceptive and meticulous way of looking at things. Multilingual speakers are adept at quickly de-coding information, particularly when gaps are present or when they are required to glean a lot from a little.
Although I could write for hours about these professional and psychological benefits, I’d like to delve deeper into how this degree has benefitted me on a more personal level.
A key part of any languages degree is the translation of literary texts. This exercise demands creativity, soul, and human connection. In fact, many translators have highlighted the importance of their professional relationships with the text’s author. The International Booker Prize, perhaps the most well-known award for translated fiction, highly values that special symbiotic relationship between author and translator. In the magazine’s recent interview with Portuguese translator David Hahn, he described his profession as more than just “knowing loads of vocabulary.” He argued that “there is a suppleness to translation and the way we think about our own language we are writing in.”
It is this exact suppleness and delicacy that stems from human involvement. As invisible as they would like to be, the translator will always leave an imprint on their work.
And no doubt, the work will leave an imprint on them. Regardless of my future career, the foreign texts I’ve studied during my languages degree will stick with me for life. And hopefully, alongside them, the ability to read closely, to interpret and infer, and to decode complex information. Already, I would say that engaging closely with foreign literature has changed who I am. Namely, the approach I take to conversations and friendships, as well as the actions I implement in my daily life.
Since starting my degree in Italian and Spanish, I’ve learnt that nothing in the world quite compares to the satisfaction of finally understanding the written works of Dante or Cervantes in their respective mother tongue. And for me, that reward alone makes my degree worth it. I would encourage anyone to read foreign literature, even when it is translated, as it offers a completely exceptional reader experience. It teaches you that literary works can be so fluid, with multiple versions, editions, and translations, each with their own qualities and peculiarities.
Thankfully, this fluidity and instability of language means it is full to the brim of whimsical idiomatic phrases and nuanced metaphors, all of which a digital translator cannot (yet) fully compute. And it is here that I feel a languages graduate has the potential to really shine. The role of intermediary between the original text and its successful published translation simply must be human. I say this because in any piece of literature, there is an endless depth of alternative significance hidden beneath the prose. Some of these meanings are more obvious than others. There are those that require years of critical academic study to be confidently gleaned. Then, there are others that simply reveal themselves to a reader due to their unique experience of the world. But the invariable constant here is that these interpretations require the reader to think perceptively, beyond the information available on the page, by using the ideas and emotions that stem from their human experience. An AI bot cannot think as independently as mankind by running off recycled piles of pre-existing information.
Fundamentally, languages are much more than their written form. I’m currently on my year abroad, and every day I feel so grateful that I can speak the language I’ve spent the past few years trying to master. Once you’ve learnt a language, cracking a difficult translation or succeeding in a particularly challenging conversation gives you such a unique gratification. Sitting here, writing this on a sunny Spanish day in the library overlooking a sandstone cathedral, I can confidently say that so far my languages degree has reaffirmed one age-old cliché… that difficult journeys lead to beautiful destinations.
I think this leads me to the core of why I love foreign languages and why a degree in them is worth it. As fun as it may be to spend the afternoon engrossed in Italian literature or French film, nothing beats physically conversing with someone in the language. Since moving to Spain, I’ve learnt that occasionally my accent may slip and I may forget the odd word, but the conversation is always unbelievably rewarding. I think it all comes back to that desire for human connection. In a world that seems to move so fast, where everything is increasingly remote and digital, learning a foreign language is now more vital than ever.