Learning a foreign language is a lot of work, no doubt. And sometimes, it’s easy to get discouraged about the idea. You might ask, with the continuing rise of automated translation, is there much point?

I’m here today to emphatically say “YES”. And for many reasons.

One reason is, automated translation is nowhere near the level of human translation. And at least with the current methods that are driving it, it never will be, because it has no comprehension. If we reach a level where AI can truly comprehend the meaning of a piece of text, then maybe it can get there. But certainly not beforehand.

Another reason is simply personal satisfaction. It can be very fun and satisfying learning a new language. There are few sensations quite like encountering a complex phrase and realizing that you understand it. In some ways, it feels like the childhood joy of learning to read all over again.

Language study can be good for your mental health as well. It’s one of the few activities that has real, documented efficacy in slowing the onset of dementia. And it’s also a fine way to meet people and make friends.

Another reason is for the love of your mother tongue. You will never truly understand your first language until you have a different language to compare it to. You’ll notice things that you always took for granted. You’ll discover cool etymologies that simply went unnoticed before.

Finally, learning a language is a gesture of sincere respect. When you put in the effort to learn somebody’s language, even if you never become amazing in it, you demonstrate a good faith effort to learn about their culture. And really, why should anyone listen to you if you aren’t willing to do that much? If we want to build cultural bridges, this is essential work.