One Future of EFL?
“Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee” (John Donne)
I had an interesting conversation yesterday on Facebook. I was talking about the importance of financial literacy and how everyone should be saving for retirement or at least for an uncertain future. Some of the answers I got were along the lines of “I can’t afford to retire, so I will just continue working indefinitely”.
We’ve talked a lot on this blog about the coming jobs apocalypse and the conversation above got me thinking about how this will apply to teaching English as a foreign language.
I believe that within a relatively short amount of time, real-time translation and interpretation will be available to almost anyone. Auto-translate on websites is now a thing and voice recognition is accelerating thanks to projects like Siri. The inexorable progress of computer speeds and storage means that it is just a matter of (rapidly shrinking) time before good enough versions of these are on every mobile device.
At that point, what happens to foreign language education?
A few people will still need to develop foreign language skills, including diplomats or people who are planning to live in a foreign country. For pretty much anyone else, cheap and reliable automatic translation will meet their needs. In that situation,
- will parents still see a need for their children to learn English?
- will school systems still insist that everyone learn English and use it to determine educational rankings?
- will companies still encourage their employees to develop their language skills?
I don’t know how long it will take society to adapt to the new technological paradigm. It could take a long time for inertia and precedent to be overcome. But I do think that in the near future the current mass-market for EFL will likely disappear.
If you are an EFL teacher and more than ten years from retirement, how do you see your career progressing? Do you have a plan B?
I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with you here, Ben. I think the EFL market will definitely change in many ways, and already is. Much of foreign language learning is about creating relationships, however, and that simply can’t be done with computers even if accurate real-time translation becomes a reality. Additionally, the brain research on the benefits of speaking a foreign language is becoming even clearer, benefits that technology simply can’t provide. As an industry, we need to be ready for the changes, but technology has been used to sound the death toll for many an industry and it tends to create strength and opportunities for the nimble more often than leading to the predicted doom.
Hi Ben!
Thanks for this fascinating topic.
As for me, I knew that I had to change my business model to survive. In fact, you were there when I made that decision a few years ago.
I teamed up with a large kindergarten last September. It’s been working out very well. I now have people who really know how to run a school plus resources and more status in my community.
I also have been working on YouTube videos for the last year and a half. I now have a revenue stream that is growing each month and will supplement me for years to come (hopefully YouTube is here to stay).
I’m embracing the future.
Sure Ben. Give me an outline of some points that you would like me to write about and time to do it.
I’m already the head teacher at my school, but I don’t see much of a future in it, especially once my boss retires. I’m considering going back to grad school once this all meets a “natural” end, to get into a different career. 😛
[…] Ben published a post that concerns me and many others who are teaching English conversation here in Japan. […]
Just came across this and am happy for you! I got my CELTA cert in mid 2012 but due circumstances, I taught Korean kids freelance in my home country [initially wanted to use it in Bangkok or Seoul, but neither issues awork visa to Singaporean teachers] until the end of 2013, when I went to Seoul for a short study trip. Now I am back and wondering if I should have applied for JET and studied Japanese instead.
I would like to know about how Asian ELTs are received in Japan. =)
Dear Ben,
Thank you!!! The closing date is over so I guess I have 1 year to study some Japanese haha…
Hopefully I’ll get to visit soon and get a feel of the culture for myself!!!
Thanks a lot again!!!
I actually think because the world is becoming more complex and students, young and old, need to prepare for a working life with people beyond their immediate community, that foreign language acquisition will become more vital. I believe it will evolve from a traditional grammar and vocab format- which good teacher hasn’t done that already? It will increasingly involve cultural, historical and sociological components to ensure our student are prepared to work, live and compete on a global scale.