Haritha Prasad

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My previous post talked about my experiences with using Generative AI tools for learning languages. I received a comment on the blog which talked about if there will even be a need to learn languages when advanced technology can eventually translate any language with near perfection in real-time into your ears. This image attached is an AI’s imagination of people who know no common languages communicating with the help of an instant translator earpiece. This is a daunting proposition, that there will be fewer and fewer language diversity as times go on due to the domination of the internet by a few languages, mostly English.

Generative AI is a lot different from a mere translator application as it can understand the nuances of a language and translate in a much more accurate way. But as more of these tools are majorly trained in English, the lingua franca of the world, there is a possibility of widening gap between English and some European languages vs the rest of the languages (Sharma, 2023). ChatGPT for example could reinforce the dominance of English, and result in reduced richness of language as it does not currently function well with non-European languages.

There is hope though as it has been observed that Generative AI apps have been able to comprehend languages that they were never initially trained on. The process of how AI is able to pick up languages is not explained currently however there are attempts to explain it using the way humans pick up languages. Awareness of a single languages predisposes humans to learn a second language merely through immersion in the second language, as we’re able to recognize patterns in the language to understand its structure. The same has been considered in the case of Generative AI which is able to recognize patterns in languages as well, suggesting that as AI learns more languages, it may be easier for it to catch on even more (Eliot, 2023). However, the resources available for certain languages far exceed that of others and the risk of losing linguistic diversity is still exemplified in the age of Generative AI due to this difference.

As a language enthusiast myself, I see myself reliant on Google lens to translate even the smallest of foreign language words when I am in a new country, which removes the need to even read or type it into the translator, thereby reducing all the interaction I could have with the new language. Do you have any experience where you find yourself using lesser linguistic power as Generative AI can do it for you?

References:

Sharma, Y. (2023, February 24). What CHATGPT means for linguistic diversity and language learning. University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230223132734294

Eliot, L. (2023, April 19). Solving the mystery of how chatgpt and Generative AI can surprisingly pick up foreign languages, says AI ethics and AI Law. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2023/04/19/solving-the-mystery-of-how-chatgpt-and-generative-ai-can-surprisingly-pick-up-foreign-languages-says-ai-ethics-and-ai-law/?sh=5aab7cc36b1d

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I’ve always been fascinated by languages and have taken interest in learning multiple languages. Apart from my native language Malayalam, I’m proficient in English, Hindi, know intermediate Spanish, and beginner-level Dutch, Tamil and Punjabi. All of them were learnt majorly with the help of online language learning platforms such as Duolingo with curated language lessons, Hellotalk which connects you with language exchange partners and Discord, where there are communities for learning specific languages.

As a long time user of Duolingo I’ve seen it grow as a platform, as earlier it used to have multiple sentences that are not useful, but now the experience has improved manifold. The latest improvement is Super Duolingo that have features powered by Generative AI – Explain My Answer and Roleplay.

Earlier, if I made a mistake on Duolingo, it would simply let me know the correction without any explanation as to where I was going wrong. The only place to find explanations were discussion boards the Duolingo community will answer your questions. But now with the introduction of “Explain my answer” feature, community learning might become obsolete as the feature lets the user understand correctly where they went wrong by letting them chat with Duo (AI chatbot of Duolingo) for clarification and examples.

The second feature, Roleplay, helps the learners practice conversation skills with characters in the app that use Generative AI to provide unique, interactive conversations. ChatGPT can also be used for similar purposes. When I recently started learning Dutch, it was the most convenient place to start the learning journey. The instant answers to my queries and the ability to have conversations where ChatGPT would talk to be in Dutch while showing the translations of every sentence simultaneously is a revolutionary learning method. I’ve tried using this method for learning Spanish as well, as there is no need to factor in time-zones with ChatGPT as opposed to a language partner that I have in Latin America.

In ChatGPT and Super Duolingo, I’ve a learning tool that is ready to answer my query at any time, and can do the work that Hellotalk and Discord does in a much simpler manner. Once the same tools can also respond to you the same way in speech, the need for human interactions will be largely reduced. However, a language exchange partner is also a cultural exchange partner where you learn about each other cultures and you are teaching a language you know and learning a new one. I believe that AI cannot replace this fulfilling human experience.

Did you try to use Generative AI for learning languages? If so, do you think it can replace humans as a language tutor?

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