Is Learning A Language Worth It?

I'm answering a brilliant question from the StoryLearning podcast that came from Ben, a 17-year-old from South Wales. It stopped me in my tracks because it challenges something I'm deeply passionate about.

Ben wonders if, in our modern world of AI and sophisticated translation technology, is learning a language worth it? With Google Translate's camera feature and countless other tools at our fingertips, why bother?

It's a question I've pondered myself, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you — not just as someone who teaches languages, but as someone whose life has been profoundly shaped by the decision to learn them.

Let me tell you why the answer might be more nuanced than you think.

The Question: Is Learning Languages Obsolete?

Ben's question: “These days, is learning a language worth it at all? We're hearing all of these announcements from Microsoft for example – they've managed to get translation on the fly. Google Translate is getting better and better with their instant camera translation feature. So do you think in this day and age it's really worth going to all the trouble of actually learning languages when we can have technology do it for us?”

This is such an important question. Sometimes I forget that there are people who are your age, who are 17, who are thinking to themselves: “Should I be spending all this time in my life learning languages when there are so many other things I could be doing?”

The Truth: We Don't “Need” To Learn Languages

I've got to be honest – I don't actually “need” to learn any of my languages. When I was living in Japan, I could pretty much get by in English. And if I couldn't, there was always someone around who would help me.

When I was in Cairo, Egyptians generally spoke better English than most other places I've lived in. I could get by perfectly well in English if I want to.

When I'm in the UK, obviously I've got no need to ever learn any other languages, even though there are lots of foreigners around all the time.

And if at any point for business, work, study, or whatever reason there is a need to translate something, there is technology that can take care of it and it's becoming increasingly accurate.

But for me, that's only ever going to be to up to a point.

What Technology Can't Translate

At the root of Ben's question is communication. With all this amazing technology coming through, it's easy to wonder whether manual language learning is becoming obsolete.

I once saw a news segment in the UK about a company using Twitter to analyse the mood of British people before a general election.

They're using an automated system to analyse political tweets, claiming incredible accuracy in reading public sentiment.

But there's one thing the system can't pick up: sarcasm.

When asked about handling famous British sarcasm, the representative admitted: “Sarcasm is something that we are not able to handle at the moment. It's beyond us.”

This gets to the core of why you might want to learn another culture's language. If you are British, can you imagine a world without sarcasm?

That deadpan sarcasm and irony in our language toolkit is as much about body language as the words we say – just like comedy is more about timing and the things you don't say than the words themselves.

These are things that technology, in my opinion, will never be able to replace.

Genuine Human Connections I've Made Through Languages

The Colombian Empanada Vendor

I increasingly spend most of my life with technology – doing the podcast, making videos. And I've realised that the more I use technology, the more I crave genuine, real communication.

Yesterday I was at Greenwich Market here in London, where you meet people from all around the world. I went for lunch and grabbed a couple of empanadas, which are a kind of pasty from South America. The woman serving at the stall was from Colombia. She looked bored and tired.

I used to live in Argentina, where empanadas were a way of life, so I started speaking Spanish with her. She came alive at that moment! To have someone suddenly talking to her in Spanish, asking about empanadas and different kinds of food – we stood there chatting about these “silly little food things” for five minutes.

She came alive, and you could see in her eyes that we connected on a level far beyond the transactional buying and selling of food. We connected through this shared experience – the food she knows and loves from her home, something that brought back memories of my time in South America.

Cultural Connection in Japan

When I was living in Japan, I realised after some time that you can only truly connect with Japanese people by speaking their language.

There is such a big linguistic and cultural gap, with so many unsaid and unspoken things in Japanese, that you can only ever really connect with them properly by speaking their language.

Breaking Barriers In Cairo

Likewise when I was in Cairo – Egypt is a poor place, and when locals see someone like me, a white Westerner walking along the street, I represent something that for many of them is a dream and an aspiration. The thought of moving abroad, having a better, more stable, more prosperous life.

So when I stop and speak to them in Egyptian Arabic (although it's far from perfect), when I show them that I'm interested in them, their culture, and their language – the look on their face, the connection, the bond that you form from doing that is something very special.

Beyond What Research Can Tell You

I don't know whether it's possible for someone who hasn't experienced this to imagine it – to imagine the worth of it, the value to you as a person.

I could give you these generic lines like “learning languages brings people together, brings cultures together, crosses borders.”

I could cite research about how people who learn multiple languages have larger brains, how bilingual children have a greater meta-understanding of themselves and the world.

I could even mention career benefits – that investment banks tend to hire linguists because of their critical thinking skills.

But that's not really what it's about for me.

Is Learning A Language Worth It?

The examples I've shared are things that make my life worth living – things that bring me happiness on a small scale but in a very deep way.

So what I would say is: go ahead and try it, but do it for yourself. Don't do it because anyone else says you should or because it's expected of you. Do it for yourself and experience these kinds of connections I've been speaking about.

Then make the decision retrospectively whether you wasted your time, rather than trying to come to that decision beforehand.

Should I Bother Learning A Language?

I was reading a great book recently (Regrets of the Dying) where people on their deathbed talked about their lives and what they wished they had done when they had the chance.

The overwhelming finding from all these interviews was that you will only ever regret something that you haven't done, never something that you have.

I hope some of this has resonated with you. I really hope you go out and learn another language and have some of these life-enriching experiences I've spoken about.

If you do, I'm sure you'll realise and appreciate that it was worth your time – something that has been beneficial for you and enriched your life.

Is Learning A Language Worth It? FAQ

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.