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  3. The number of British universities offering specialist modern-language courses is in sharp decline. This collapse might be partl

The number of British universities offering specialist modern-language courses is in sharp decline. This collapse might be partl

admin2021-05-24  70
问题        The number of British universities offering specialist modern-language courses is in sharp decline. This collapse might be partly down to the rise of free translation software such as Google Translate. The following excerpt is about this issue.
       Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
       1. summarize briefly the article;
       2. express your own opinion, especially whether automatic translation technology will eliminate foreign language learning.
       I hear more and more about automatic translation technology. Skype recently announced their Skype Translator Preview. This translation technology will make it possible for people to communicate via Skype across languages. Two people can speak two different languages, and the conversation is automatically translated for each person to hear in his or her own language.
       This technology is not surprising. Google Translate is already quite accurate for many languages, although not for all. The more closely related the languages are in vocabulary and structure, the more accurate the translations are. Recently, text-to-speech technology has greatly improved, enabling any text to be accurately voiced for someone to listen to.
       How is this likely to affect language learning? I recently did a Google search for articles on the subject and came across a blog post by a Benny the Irish Polyglot where he discusses a product called Vocre. Benny points out that these translations are not always reliable. To me, this is a minor problem. The quality of these translations can only improve over time, since they are based the accumulation of context examples of ever increasing quantity, and in this way the context based-accuracy improves. I already find that Google Translate is much better than it was, and usually serves my purpose.
       So I don’t think that it is the accuracy of this technology that will be the main reason why it will not replace the need to learn languages.
       Rather it is because language learning is not just about learning to ask for directions and ordering beer. Language learning, in my opinion, is about connecting with a different language group, getting an insight into how these people think and getting exposure to their history and culture.
       This new automatic interpreting technology is helpful for situations like the ones that I will face in Myanmar and Vietnam as a tourist, where I don’t speak the language, and very specific questions that I need to have answered. It is an interim communication tool. It is not a substitute for learning the language.
       On the contrary, if after visiting Vietnam and Myanmar, I find that one of these countries is sufficiently fascinating, I may very well want to learn the language in order to get closer to those people, their history and their culture. I may simply want to be able to interact naturally with speakers of those languages, not via some interpreting device.
       Just as the advent of the computer increased the consumption of paper, I tend to think that the introduction of this kind of technology will increase the interest of people in language learning, and not decrease it. It is a short-term bridge or crutch which enables communication across certain language barriers, but not a longer-term resource for really getting to know people and discovering other cultures.
       This new translation technology will again make our world smaller, bring people closer together, and as a result, people will want to take the next step in getting closer to people who share their world, and learn their language.
选项
答案 Translation Technology Will Not Eliminate Language Learning The emergence of automatic translation technology, such as Google Translation and Skype Translator Preview, raises the debate whether it will eliminate foreign language learning. It is pointed out by the excerpt that automatic translation technology will overcome the problem of inaccuracy if data of context examples is enough. However, the author also holds the opinion that translation technology will not eliminate language learning, as language learning is not only related to information exchange but also a way of knowing the essence of the culture of the target language. Therefore, automatic translation technology, rather than saving people the efforts in language learning, becomes a useful intermediary which can surely arouse people’s passion for language learning by affording them the ease in receiving information from other languages. As I see it, translation technology will not eliminate language learning. Firstly, the current "automatic" translation technology is still in its developing phase, instead of eliminating language learning, the R&D process requires more talents in language studies. The key technologies used, including text-to-speech, or speech recognition, text analysis, language matching, can only be realized by masters of both the source language and the target language. Secondly, instead of "automatic" translation, a more appropriate way of calling the technology would be computed aided translation (CAT) because the translation offered by translation software needs further editing and proofreading before being used, a process requiring more people who are proficient in both languages. Lastly, getting the information conveyed by languages is not the only purpose of learning languages. Learning languages will guide people into other cultures and other ways of thinking, which cannot be realized by only reading translated texts. Based on the reasons above, automatic translation technology will not eliminate language learning; instead, it will boost language learning in the R&D process, editing process and arouse strong enthusiasm for people who want to know another culture through languages.
解析         材料对“翻译技术是否会减少语言学习的需求”进行了探讨，总体而言，作者认为翻译技术不会影响学习语言的必要性。材料大致可分为两部分内容。
        前三段主要讨论了翻译技术的发展，指出自动翻译技术（automatic translation technology）日渐发展，虽然存在翻译不够精确的问题，但随着平台数据里语境范例的积累（accumulation of context examples）将会逐渐改善。
        后六段作者论述翻译技术不会减少语言学习的原因。因为语言的学习关乎不同语族之间的联系（connecting with a different language group）、探讨这些人的思维模式（how these people think）以及接触他们的历史文化（exposure to their history and culture）。作为一种沟通媒介（interim communication tool），自动翻译技术反而有助于提高人们学习语言的兴趣（increase the interest）。
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