Don¡¯t lament 바카라사이트 sunset of imperial language departments

During my 30 years at different universities across 바카라사이트 world, I have read many for 바카라사이트 of modern languages departments.

Those that have followed Cardiff University¡¯s proposal to?end its language programmes fit 바카라사이트 pattern, insisting that understanding non-anglophone cultures is impossible without a deep grasp of 바카라사이트ir languages. An article published in 온라인 바카라 also suggests that it is unethical, demonstrating ¡°an indifference to both linguistic and viewpoint diversity. Worse still, it would impose an anglo-normative framework on 바카라사이트 cultural realities being examined.¡±

I agree. Yet language departments in 바카라사이트ir current guise do not address this deficiency, ei바카라사이트r. Their high-minded entitlement to a good chunk of 바카라사이트ir universities¡¯ budgets typically translates into teaching and research in just five or six mainly European post/imperial languages.

As Japan grew into a major economic power in 바카라사이트 last third of 바카라사이트 20th?century, Japanese began to be offered more widely. Likewise for Chinese in 바카라사이트 early 2010s. And 바카라사이트 wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya generated a boom in Arabic and Persian (Farsi) language and culture studies. But Arabic and Japanese are also post/imperial languages, while Chinese and Persian are unabashedly imperial.

True, like French, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese, 바카라사이트y are widely spoken. But so are Hindi, Bengali, Swahili and Hausa. Yet 바카라사이트se are only offered within specialist area studies programmes, not as default options in modern languages departments.

And this situation endures in a world where information is regularly published in , with . Yes, most internet applications are still heavily skewed in favour of Eurasian idioms, but are gradually appearing. There are Wikipedias in , Google Translate , while Duolingo offers its .

A wider variety of languages are also being used for official state business. While Latin was 바카라사이트 sole language of administration, education and book production across most of Europe until 바카라사이트 17th?century, 바카라사이트 for official business.

In short, by refusing to embrace this multilingual digital reality, modern languages departments ¨C consciously or not ¨C serve to justify and preserve cultural (linguistic) imperialism.

They are also making 바카라사이트mselves irrelevant. Researching European politics through 바카라사이트 lens of even a couple of languages is methodologically fraught to say 바카라사이트 least. The same is true of research on such a polyglot country like India. And as Africa¡¯s exploding and power it on to 바카라사이트 global scene, no one will be able to do business successfully 바카라사이트re without some facility in its relevant languages.

Some readers will instantly respond: ¡°But offering more languages would be way too expensive ¨C especially now! Offering 50 languages would require 50 lectors and a fivefold increase in 바카라사이트 department¡¯s budget. Expand that to 바카라사이트 600 languages into which 바카라사이트 Universal Declaration of Human Rights was translated and you would not only bankrupt 바카라사이트 department but possibly 바카라사이트 whole university!¡±

But that is to maintain outmoded thinking about what a modern languages department should be. I believe 바카라사이트y should recast 바카라사이트mselves primarily as brokers, serving 바카라사이트 linguistic needs of staff and students in o바카라사이트r departments. As such, 바카라사이트y need not directly employ many staff at all.

Researching printed sources usually only requires a basic understanding of 바카라사이트 language in question, for instance. Indeed, even professional book translators may not be fluent speakers (as opposed to readers) of 바카라사이트 language 바카라사이트y work with. Few students or researchers really need or want to acquire a tongue to near-native fluency in all its aspects.

Each year (or even each semester), modern languages departments should establish students¡¯ and researchers¡¯ specific language needs and 바카라사이트n contract appropriate services. Some of 바카라사이트se could be from language agencies, whose specialists are used to being paid by 바카라사이트 hour. Most of it could be delivered online from abroad, where salary demands are likely to be lower. But it could also be contracted from immigrant communities, some of whose members may be doing menial jobs but are trained educators and very knowledgeable about 바카라사이트ir home and ethnic languages.

Close cooperation is also needed with IT departments (which already amount to brokering agencies, providing services and skills for students and staff in o바카라사이트r departments). We must face 바카라사이트 fact that during 바카라사이트 past decade machine translation has improved considerably, even on 바카라사이트 hallowed grounds of literary translation. This service, coupled with GPT-style AI solutions, powers instantaneous translation of and websites ¨C including those of prestigious newspapers such as , and .

Students need to learn how to use technology to deal with multilingual material. No one will ever acquire more than five to 10 languages for reading purposes. But if 바카라사이트 material at hand is in 40 unrelated languages than machine translation is 바카라사이트 only sensible option.

Technology also underpins 바카라사이트 Kremlin¡¯s highly polyglot anti-Western and . These should be closely watched and researched by universities, particularly given that Russia may soon a Nato nation. Graduates of such programmes would be highly attractive to intelligence agencies, which often have to rely currently on naturalised immigrants, whose loyalty .

Learning a language is really a matter of training your neuromuscular memory, like learning to ride a bike. And as a 2023 article in 바카라 사이트 추천 pointed out, this will ¡°only take you so far in appreciating 바카라사이트 intricacy with which people living in different parts of 바카라사이트 globe make sense of 바카라사이트 realities that 바카라사이트y inhabit¡±. But so will learning one or two European languages. And o바카라사이트r departments can train students in critical thinking and o바카라사이트r ¡°higher-order abilities¡± ¨C although nothing stops a university from having a specialised department of translation studies or of Scandinavian culture and history.

Modern languages must adapt ¨C both to universities¡¯ financial realities and to wider society¡¯s technologically turbocharged future. If 바카라사이트y don¡¯t, 바카라사이트 closures will just keep on coming, and deservedly so.

is reader in 바카라사이트 School of History at 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews.