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 number of British universities offering specialist modern-language courses is in sharp decline, with some universities even considering closing entire language departments. The rise of free translation software, such as Google Translate, is thought to be partially responsible for this decline. However, the accuracy of these translations is not the main reason why they will not replace the need to learn languages. Language learning is about connecting with a different language group, gaining an insight into how they think, and getting exposure to their history and culture. While automatic interpreting technology is helpful for short-term communication across certain language barriers, it is not a substitute for learning a language and really getting to know people and discovering other cultures. In fact, the introduction of this technology may increase the interest of people in language learning, as it will make our world smaller, bring people closer together, and encourage people to take the next step in getting closer to those who share their world by learning their language