Welcome to the desert of the real
The march of technology continues
Microsoft announced a new product the other day: simultaneous interpretation over Skype.
Also Google bought Word Lens last week and made all their products free. Check it out and blow your mind.
How can this not impact language teaching and learning?
Oh, and the Google robot cars are one step closer:
I’ll take a Guinness. 😉 I don’t think we differ that much on our interpretations on the speed of progress and that it will have some major effects–we do disagree a good bit on what the final result will be, however. That being said, I certainly wouldn’t want to be studying to be a translator right now. I think translation will be hit much harder as it’s more about the concrete product at the end.
As for language learning, you could argue that those studying it now are mostly the elite (or those who would like to become so), hobbyists, and people who plan to live in a foreign country. In that case, maybe you’ve already won the bet. 🙂
“How can this not impact language teaching and learning?”
It definitely will, but the question is how. Also, how much of the effect will be positive and how much negative? Very interesting developments, though, eh!