12-minute read.
This is a question that’s been roaming my mind lately. There is no doubt that it currently is a hot topic for obvious reasons. AI is all over the place, whether we like it or not. However, the real root of this question goes way back in time: why should I learn a new language? has been a point of discussion for a long time now. Once we ask ourselves this question, we immediately rush to find a practical solution that will come in handy: the opportunity to speak with a wider range of people… how our CV will look ten times better from now on… or even the fact that we will be able to watch shows and films in original version. You can think of any possibility and they are all are valid answers. Languages create excitement and bring us together, but unfortunately, that looks like it’s starting to belong to the past. All these chatbots and AI tools are making language learning seem like a waste of time. Do you need instant translation of a document? Ask AI! Want to pretend you know portuguese with your friends? Download AI and become Cristiano Ronaldo right now! Don’t you know what that street sign says? Well, you already know the drill at this point. Languages have become so »accesible» and »easy» to reach that there is this illusion that it’s actually pointless to learn a new one. But, like any illusion or magic trick, there is a catch. Today I wanna tell you why languages matter and why nothing has really changed in the AI era.
Through languages we carry our ideas and values.
For those who don’t know me, I’ve been a seafarer for the past few years. More specifically, I’ve worked as a navigational officer, sailing all over the world while being in charge of the safe passage of the ship during my watch time, among other responsibilities. My life, so far, has been very enriching due to being outside my hometown more that I have ever imagined and getting to know a lot of people from many different countries. Life as a sailor is tough, but it has moments you will never get to experience on shore. The thing is… life on board is not for everyone. That is exactly what I thought when I started sailing. I got a big reality check. On the one hand, sea is not very friendly with strangers. Everybody that is new to life at sea will probably have a hard time at the beginning (like me). One the other hand, I came across good and bad people. As you probably know, human beings tend to remember bad stuff longer than the positive. Many of us can receive a lot of good news, but they are often overshadowed by one single bad news. Like I said, beginnings are tough and having some shipmates that were getting the better of me, was no bueno. In those moments, what is left for us? what can we do to overcome those situations? I don’t know about you, but what was left for me was my voice and my ideas. I spoke up and set boundaries. I didn’t yield to mockery and bad behaviors. I used my voice and stood my ground. Like you may probably imagine, on a ship we don’t get to choose many things, let alone other people’s nationalities. Knowing more than just one language can bridge the gap between you and the others and that was key for me. English in that moment was, along with my ideas, the only thing that allowed me to make a change for the better. When I was young and still went to high school, one teacher said to me the following:
»They can take away your money, your car and even your clothes, but they will never be able to take away your ideas and knowledge».
Imagine for a moment how it would have been if my ideas were locked up in my brain due to a language barrier. I would have had a much harder time and would have returned home having the feeling I didn’t actually stand up for myself. In that period of time on board, I understood that English became a part of me and allowed myself to carry my ideas and values with me wherever I needed to go. That alone is super awesome, isn’t it?
A wonderful journey about self-gratification.
Languages are a journey that I recommend everybody to take on. Many times I end my line there, without giving many reasons as to why they should start. Why? Because you only need to see one person that is fluent in a foreign language to actually understand it. You don’t believe me? Okay, I will give you an example that is, once again, a bit personal (and also a bit different).
For the longest time, I’ve told myself that I can’t run. The exact words are: I cannot become a runner, therefore, I can’t run. There is some truth to it, though. It is a fact that I have asthma and after a few minutes, my chest starts burning a little (or quite a bit, to be honest). Exactly what you’re thinking: I have a very good reason or excuse to avoid running. However, one day I came across a video of one young guy that had half of his body paralyzed. The video was about how, despite all odds, he managed to finish a marathon all by himself. When the video ended, something inside me was burning (not my lungs due to my asthma, though…) and I knew what it was: the urge to prove myself that I could run. It didn’t take me too long before I started running: the day after, I went outside to run for about 15 to 20 minutes. I didn’t run fast and managed to find my own pace that allowed me to breathe and not feel my chest aching. A month passed by and I’ve been running 3 to 4 days a week. Every Monday I set a new goal that is running a bit longer than last week. So far, I have managed to do it. There are days that I’m completely out of breath and other days I feel like my lungs are about to give out. But, in the end, I owe it to myself.
I enjoy running. It has become the part of the day where I become free and full of energy. Apart from enjoyment, the main reason why I do it is because I don’t wanna see myself as a quitter. That guy from the youtube video made it till the end of the marathon and I know that, one day, I will be able to do it as well. Seeing others achieve a great goal awakes something inside us. And the truth is that this whole thing about running will not grant me anything more than personal satisfaction. It’s not something I will write in my CV or that will earn me a lot of money. However, I care about it and it brings me huge self-gratification.
First day I went running I also remembered the first day I set the goal to becoming fluent in English. No one was pushing me to do it. To be totally honest with you, I just needed a B1 level for most job applications at the time and most of the people around me were simply learning the basics. But I didn’t want to settle for that. I knew the goal was to become fluent, but deep down all I saw was that I had just set one big challenge that I had to accomplish really badly. So, like anything we set out to do, it’s all motivation at the start. It is after some weeks or months that motivation begins to fade. In those moments, you are only left with your convictions, self-discipline and goals. Nothing else. You keep grinding, trying to be consistent and work everyday like an ant preparing for winter. Until one day, when things are tough and you feel stuck in the same headspace saying the same boring things, something truly incredible happens: you understand one joke in that language. All of a sudden, you start laughing. And keep laughing. A lot, indeed. You can’t simply stop laughing, not because the joke was hilarious, but because it is so incredibly funny how that stupid joke in that stupid moment brings so much joy and happiness to you. I cannot stress enough how much it means to shrink months and months of work and preparation into a tiny little moment. It’s simply a moment everybody should experience. Obviously, it can be jokes or it can also be a conversation with a stranger walking on the street or just a message you wrote to that special person. In a way, learning a language can feel pointless in a way, just like running. When I get out of my house, I run for half an hour and come back to the same place I left from. Technically speaking, it is a waste of time and energy, but when I come back, I feel like I achieved something meaningful. That is also what happens when people learn a new language:
It is a journey that teaches you that you can go beyond any boundary and the biggest reward you can get is immense self-gratification.
Life is meaningless if we stop caring.
I have grown so much after many years since the day I decided to become fluent in English. In a way, my life wouldn’t be the same without it: I have friends all over the world, I’ve become a lot more self-confident (I proved myself that I can do it!!) and I have no fear of going anywhere since I learnt to speak English and how to communicate to people in ways words alone fall short. I look back and I thank my past self for having pursued that weird (at the time) and far-fetched goal. Having achieved something big in life is awesome. We don’t really need to reach the moon to feel that. It can be small things that actually matter to us. For me and for many others, languages have granted us with great memories and have proved us that we can. All of this is because we care deeply about it. Through languages we learn about self-gratification, but most importantly, we decide that human connections and self-expression are important. I wanna live in a world that people care: care for others, care for themselves and care for this planet. If we yield to AI tools for them to do everything we once cared about, we are losing ourselves and many worthy things in the way.
Why would I care to speak a new language if I can ask chatGPT?
In that moment, we’d start living more and more isolated.
Why would I care to learn a new skill if I can ask chatGPT?
If we yielded to that, we’d become complacent and lazy and companies would also be lazy to hire people.
Why would I care about art and self-expression if chatGPT can paint and draw for me?
If that’s the case, we would lose a very important piece that makes us human beings: the need to express ourselves and have a look at what is inside our mind and soul.
There are so many things we will lose if we don’t care enough. In all honesty, this was never about competing against each other because what we really need to do is to cooperate to make things better. If we leave it all to AI, we will become mere puppets and pushovers without critical thinking, emotions and freedom to decide what we need and want for us. This is why it has become self-evident for me (and hopefully for you too) that it is pointless to ask the question: why would I choose to learn a new language if I can simply ask chatGPT? It doesn’t make sense, does it?. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna miss out on things that truly matter to us. There is a lot to experience and live in this life and we are so lucky that languages are the gateway to so many amazing adventures. I will continue learning (and running) just because it brings (and has brought) so much color to my life that I don’t want it to end just now.
What do you think? Are you willing to take on this journey and care about what is actually important to all of us?
Thank you for reading this essay. I’m usually a very laid-back person, but there are certain topics and questions that open something in me. One of those topics is how we are turning our society and world into a garbage dump. I was lucky enough to have incredible mentors in high school and also while I was sailing to ask myself these kind of questions. All I’ve written above is as important as we make it out to be. I talked about languages and how much joy and meaning they have brought to me. But it can be anything that has meaning to you: working out, becoming excellent at doing your job, being an amazing parent, caring for your family… they are all important because they mean something to us. So, whether it’s learning English or doing whatever the heck you want to achieve in your life, don’t hesitate and do it. Don’t let others take it away from you, especially this AI crap that is trying to take over our lives and souls.
And most importantly, do it for yourself and no one else.
Thank you.