What Does Live Translation Mean For Language?: Apple AirPods

This month, Apple announced a revolutionary new feature for their AirPods: live translation. Imagine understanding any and everyone around you, in real time, all thanks to two-inch tall plastic pieces. Technology like this is what my eight-year-old self dreamed the future would be like, and it feels like the world Back to the Future 2 promised to us is finally within reach…. Why, then, am I not so excited? 

It’s easy to see the seemingly overwhelming pros of a feature like this. This technology tempts us with universal communication: the ability to connect with anyone, anywhere, without delay. In an increasingly interconnected, on-demand world, I believe that nowadays no one wants to bother jumping through hoops to communicate.  

I’m not a technologically-averse person. I read articles on Apple News, my screen time is about what you would expect from a college student, and I regularly force myself to detox from TikTok and Instagram for fear of falling into brainrotting, doomscrolling patterns. Technology can seem intimidating, sure, especially in these turbulent times of rapid advancement, but it also offers a world of opportunity. We want to learn, and we want to connect – modern technology allows us to do that on an unprecedented level.  

My concern is simply that, rather than signaling a new beginning, advancements like this may indicate the end of something else, something that I do not think we can stand to lose – the interest in, and ability to, learn other languages.  

Foreign languages have always been an interest of mine. I remember being fascinated as a little kid that my dad could read me picture books in German, or that my cousins could bicker in Arabic, then switch back to English with such ease. I wanted to study and master as many languages as possible to that level, where writing and speaking felt just as natural to me in another tongue. I’m grateful for this early exposure to different languages within my own family, but even within my own lifetime the world has become increasingly interconnected, bringing different languages to all of our lives (and screens).   

Language is our means of communication, yes, but it is not that simple. Languages are nuanced. They hold cultural significance, both reflecting and affecting the ideals and traditions of speakers. Knowing a language means something – it isn’t just a one-to-one translation, it means truly understanding. I love watching movies with subtitles or reading translations of books, but it always makes me a bit sad to know that I am missing subtleties in the dialogue, and that I am unable to consume the work in the way the creator originally intended.  

Tools and technology like live translation are a gift, but I feel that they should not become a crutch. Take generative AI for example: it’s a timesaver, sure. But experts are increasingly concerned that it is having negative effects on the cognition and linguistic abilities of users. I hate emails just as much (probably more) than the next girl, but I at least can appreciate that the stress of deciding between “I hope you had a great weekend” and “I hope you are having a great week” gives my brain some exercise. If we lose the need for these mundane decisions and communications, do we lose the ability to do them? 

I believe that technology should be about expanding opportunities for learning, not replacing them. For short-term use, like everyday interactions or tourism, I think live translation could be really cool. But dedicating ourselves to the study of other languages is both a privilege and a necessity. I could open a tab right now and learn the term for “cat” in quite literally thousands of cultures and contexts. There are entire sites dedicated to teaching languages, or teaching us how to learn languages.  

Learning just one more language can seem daunting and even completely overwhelming, but there’s a quote from Hungarian interpreter Kató Lomb that I really love: “We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly.” I think the complexity of language is what makes it beautiful, and I fear a world where our communications become further homogenized for the sake of convenience, losing all of the unique beauty of our expressions. 

Even just dedicating the absolute minimum you are able to the study of another language provides a level of benefit and understanding that can hopefully be built on over time. I promise that conversations in another tongue, no matter how many times you may stumble, will be infinitely more fulfilling without a piece of plastic in your ears, a robot’s voice drowning out the voices of others. So in the short-term, please, enjoy connecting with new voices, and the alleviation of some barriers.

But in the bigger picture? Let’s not let ourselves lose language, no matter how much more effort it requires. Technology gives us access to these resources, and I feel that it is our responsibility to utilize them in a way that helps us evolve as communicators, rather than replacing the need to learn.  

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