Does it still make sense to learn new languages in the age of AI? 

Real-time voice translation. Subtitled conversations. Instant message interpretation. 
Today, the ability to communicate across languages lives in our pockets. From tourist chats to healthcare translation services and clinical research management, AI-powered language tools are closing gaps faster than ever before. 

But as these tools become more accurate and accessible, a new question quietly emerges: 

Is learning another language still worth it? 

The rise of real-time translation technology 

Over the past decade, we’ve seen rapid innovation in AI translation. Real-time interpretation apps and even live translator devices are now widely used across sectors like travel, education, and public medical services. In many parts of the world, people are beginning to question whether learning a second language is still a vital skill or simply a remnant of a pre-digital world. 

Europe’s multilingual resilience

Despite having some of the most advanced real-time translation technologies, European countries continue to prioritize multilingual education. Countries like Switzerland, Belgium, and Finland actively promote proficiency in multiple languages from a young age, not just for practical communication but to preserve cultural diversity and enable deeper cross-border cooperation. This European model highlights that language learning is seen as a cultural investment, not something to be fully outsourced to AI.

Language is more than words 

Reducing language to a functional tool overlooks its deeper impact. 

Decades of research show language learning improves cognitive flexibility and problem-solving. Bilingual individuals tend to better interpret social cues, cultural dynamics, and ambiguity, an asset in everything from medical interpretation to navigating global workplaces. 

In healthcare, where Novalins offers certified medical translation services and supports translation of medical reports, language is more than a medium. It’s a bridge to trust, safety, and empathy. 

More than science, language provides connection. It captures humor, emotion, and cultural depth, things no translation app or computer-assisted translation can fully replicate. It’s how relationships go from transactional to meaningful. 

Efficiency without intimacy? 

Real-time translation apps are a breakthrough. They enable communication where silence once stood, especially in emergencies or clinical data management. 

But they also come with trade-offs. 

If you’ve tried to talk through a translation app or simultaneous interpretation tool, you might’ve felt the pauses, glitches, or missing emotional undertones. The words come through, but something human gets lost. 

What the World Economic Forum is saying 

The World Economic Forum has raised concerns about AI’s effect on language diversity. Generative tools often favor dominant languages like English, sidelining thousands of others. This bias affects everything, from everyday chat to medical document translations in underrepresented languages. 

Their stance? Balance. They advocate integrating AI into education and translation services in a way that enhances, not replaces, the human element. As they put it: “Language is core to identity, connection, and understanding. Technology should amplify, not override, that.” 

Not a verdict, but a question 

At Novalins, we witness the power of both AI and human translation every day. Clients use online translation and AI tools internally, but they turn to us for medical record translation, clinical documentation translation, and human accuracy. 

So the question isn’t whether we need to learn new languages anymore. It’s whether we want to. 

What kind of connections do we want to build? What kind of meaning do we want to create? There’s no universal answer, but one truth is clear: even the best language translation services can’t always replace the richness of human expression.