AI and the Language Barrier: Bridging the Gap or Stealing the Beauty?

When it comes to the conversations on Artificial Intelligence (AI), I try to look at how far it has come, what it has brought and done, and what it stands to do in the future. So far, so good, AI has done a lot, already. What didn't seem possible were in some way made so by the advent of AI into the digital world. And when it comes to the future, I guess we can't deny the advancements and possibilities that would come in through this technology. Perhaps, in ways we never even expect.

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AI has had an influence on almost if not every facet of life already, even professional fields and services, such as health, education, entertainment and more. I wouldn't have thought about it then that I could easily converse with someone from or in a non-English language speaking country, who doesn't speak or understand the English Language. But as is known, this is already a reality, and AI has played a big role in making this possible. I guess we can say that it has broken the language barrier of communication.

I've used it a few times, mostly in non official sense. The last time it was me trying to prove to a fellow countryman that I understand Français (French Language). Though I know a bit of that, I was hooked and confused at some point in the very short conversation. I had to then run to AI for help. The conversation ended well. Perhaps, I successfully proved to the person that I'm a French speaker. Chuckles. AI is certainly providing help, bridging the language barrier especially when it involves official and international dialogue on important matters.

In a situation where such dialogues are meant to be “quiet” and personal, without the actual need for a third party, AI has answered that question. With some software, two parties can communicate about what they need to and resolve a matter without involving others in the conversation. And for the fact that we might not all have the luxury to learn other languages, yet we might need to communicate in them, AI is doing a good job.

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As much as this is a wonderful technological work, it means that the likes of language translators who have laboured to learn several languages and earn from it would be rendered jobless. Another concern is with fraudulent activities. Some of these known acts require communicating with foreigners in a language which the fraudster has zero knowledge of. With AI breaking the language barrier, it became utilised as a tool for this purpose. But yes, we can't blame the good invention for people's wrong use of it.

AI is here to help. It should be treated as a tool that it is, not a system. Every language has its beauty, and learning a language could mean a lot to the natives of that language. There's this beauty in being able to speak and understand another language oneself, not using an Artificial Intelligence model to do that. In situations where the software or device might not be available for the translation, learning such a language would prove helpful. Being able to say “Je vais bien,” “Soy bueno...” without running to some AI is a beautiful thing.

Thank you for reading through!