Why do I need to study English, when translators are getting better every day?

Why do I need to study English when translators are getting better every day?

First thing first, why do I need to study English? Well, because everyone in the world needs to communicate. If we only need to talk to people speaking our mother tongue, it would be needless to learn new languages. However the world is getting flatter and flatter, people can easily meet and communicate with other people even from the other side of the Earth. That person may come from a different country, lives in a different culture and speaks a different language. Human is ambitious, and they want to build the Babel tower. In order to build the Babel tower, they need a mutual language. And English is just happen to be the chosen one.

Actually I don’t really want to study English, all I want is to expand the boundaries of my knowledge. With that purpose, there will be time I need to visit a different country, live in a different culture, and of course, communicate in a foreign language. Speaking fluently English is just one of many steps to reach that goal. That’s all.

So back to the main question, why don’t I wait for some more years, for Google or Microsoft or any companies to produce the magical translator? Using big data, I think there is no reason to think that one day, they won’t surpass the human ability of translating. All I need to do is just waiting for a few more years. Sooner or later, I’ll be able to use Vietnamese to talk with, say, a German girl through that machine.

The answer is simple: I just can’t wait. That scene is very fascinating, and based on the ongoing researches in computer science, it will be produced one day, translating every languages spontaneously and fluently. Nevertheless, that day is not in near future, maybe at least ten years I guess. Until then, if I don’t learn any foreign language, I have to use Vietnamese in every aspect of my life. And because of the lacking of resource in Vietnam, compared with other developed countries like US, Germany or Japan, I can’t catch up the world, and therefore cannot surfing the wave of globalization.

No, I can’t accept that.

The wave of globalization is raising high. If I have enough knowledge, I can surf on it, and let it raise higher me to a wonderful world. If I don’t, I will still be stuck in the mess that it creates when it engulf everything in its way. You can ride the wave, or let it ride you. There is no third option. If you are like me, and 99.9999% that you are like me, then you cannot escape this. If we have to face it, then let us face it soon, when we are young and brave (and naive too).

I hope that my answer satisfies you.