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The Conversation
The Conversation
Gabriel Guillén, Professor of Language Studies, Middlebury College

What AI earbuds can’t replace: The value of learning another language

Being able to follow and contribute to a live group conversation is the gold standard of language learning. Zinkevych/iStock via Getty Images

Your host in Osaka, Japan, slips on a pair of headphones and suddenly hears your words transformed into flawless Kansai Japanese. Even better, their reply in their native tongue comes through perfectly clear to you.

Thanks to artificial intelligence, neither of you is lost in translation. What once seemed like science fiction is now marketed as a quick fix for cross-cultural communication.

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