（来源：宇婷学姐iris）
原文题目：Lost in translation
Even in the language app era there are benefits to learning a foreign tongue
即便在语言应用盛行的时代，学习外语仍有其价值
1.Parlez-vous français? No, but my AI can. Is this the end for foreign language learning? England’s school-leaving A-level exam results this week included a 1.5 per cent yearly drop in entries for modern foreign languages, with sharp falls in French and German, extending a long downward trend. Student and teacher numbers have dwindled so far that some leading UK universities are looking at merging their language courses.
“您会说法语吗？”——“不会，但我的AI会。” 这是不是意味着外语学习的终结？英国 A-level 毕业考试的结果显示，现代外语报考人数同比下降了 1.5%，其中法语和德语跌幅尤为明显，延续了长期的下降趋势。学生和教师的数量减少得如此之多，以至于一些英国知名大学正考虑合并语言课程。
2.Britons, like Americans, have long been linguistic laggards, sheltering behind English’s status as the global language of business and popular culture. Internationally, demand to learn English, and expanding languages such as Mandarin, remains robust. Even so, young people may question the need when translation apps can do the job. Une grosse erreur!
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英国人和美国人长期以来都是“语言上的落后者”，仗着英语在全球商业和流行文化中的主导地位而心安理得。但在国际上，学习英语，以及像中文这样正在崛起的语言的需求依然旺盛。即便如此，面对功能强大的翻译软件，年轻人还是会质疑：学习外语还有必要吗？——答案是：大错特错！
3.In England, the language downturn in schools accelerated after the Blair government in 2004 ill-advisedly stopped requiring students to study a foreign language for exams at 16. An understandable push in maths, technology and science subjects has led to spin-off declines in some other humanities, too.
在英国，学校语言学习下滑在2004年布莱尔政府的一项失策的做法后加速，当时政府取消了16岁学生必须学习一门外语并参加考试的规定。此举虽有助于推动理工科，但也带来的其他人文学科的衰退。
4.Yet beyond UK schools the picture is more positive. Adult language classes report healthy demand; 2023 polling for the British Academy found 71 per cent of Britons would support making language study compulsory in schools. Across the EU, nearly half of all pupils in upper secondary education learn two or more foreign languages.
不过，把目光放到英国学校之外，情况要乐观一些。成人语言课程的需求很健康；2023年一项为英国学会而做的民调显示，71%的英国人支持让语言学习成为学校的必修内容。在欧盟国家，近一半的高中生同时学习两门或以上外语。
5.Apps and AI do open exciting possibilities in teaching languages, communication, and enabling people instantly to read other tongues. AI translation could be a particular asset for multinational conferences and organisations. The EU has to translate all legislation into 24 official languages, with armies of translators overseen by fact-checking lawyer-linguists. At EU meetings, the 24 languages create 552 possible translating pairs (Estonian into Maltese, anyone?). AI might interpret obscure combinations directly.
应用软件和AI的确带来了令人兴奋的新可能：不仅在语言教学和交流方面，还能让人们即时阅读其他语言。AI翻译尤其适用于跨国会议和国际组织。比如欧盟，所有法律文本都必须被翻译成24种官方语言，需要庞大的翻译团队和律师语言学家监督事实核查。在欧盟会议上，24种语言之间会产生552种可能的翻译组合（比如从爱沙尼亚语直译成马耳他语）。未来AI或许能直接处理这些冷门组合。
And AI translations of legal, medical and scientific texts will surely continue to require human fact-checking.
不过，除了AI会出现“幻觉”的毛病外，在处理成语俚语、幽默和语调等细微差别时，它也往往力不从心。法律、医学、科研文本的翻译，也必然还需要人工把关。
positive for brain development and cognitive skills — improving memory and problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity.
学习外语本身还有明显的好处。研究表明，儿童时期学习外语有助于大脑发育和认知能力提升——能改善记忆力、解决问题的能力、批判性思维和创造力。长期的双语使用甚至能建立所谓的“认知储备”，或许有助于推迟阿尔茨海默症等疾病的发作。
Speaking other languages can also be a superpower in business, politics and other fields.
说外语在商业、政治和其他领域简直就是一种“超能力”。它能打动听众，让会议更高效。
9.While art and music can be enjoyed by everyone, purists argue that the beauty of the literature of Proust or Goethe, or the poetry of Pushkin, can only be truly appreciated in the original. Translating all the subtleties between European and non-European tongues, which often function very differently, can be even harder.
虽然艺术和音乐人人都能欣赏，但“纯粹主义者”会坚持认为，普鲁斯特或歌德的文学之美、普希金的诗歌之妙，唯有在原文中才能真正体会。尤其是欧洲语言与非欧洲语言差异巨大，翻译其间所有微妙之处更是难上加难。
10.Knowing how their languages work is a window, too, into understanding other cultures, and a gateway to area studies programmes, also declining in the UK. Sophisticated computers can become linguistic experts. But if fewer people acquire these skills, the world risks becoming a less connected place — just when it needs it most.
知晓他人语言运作方式是让人了解不同文化的窗口，是进入区域研究的重要途径，而英国的这类学科也在下滑。现今电脑固然能成为语言专家，但如果学语言的人越来越少，世界反而可能变得更缺乏联结——偏偏此刻，全球最需要的正是交流与理解。
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