Will innovation be the death of us

[@AlphabetPublishing]

I think he has an excellent point when it comes to survival English. But as Scott says, if we want to have relationships with people who speak other languages, if we want to make jokes, or share stories, we need to think about nonverbal communication skills, and also pragmatics. Who wants a co-worker that you can't chat with, expression frustrations too, comfort or be comforted by, Even as a tourist, I sometimes want to indicate to the guide, that I'm a bit suspicious of their offer, but do want to hear more. These communication skills require the intuition and oracy skills of a human being. This is the largest reason why I think teachers who focus purely on grammar and vocabulary will indeed be out of a job, but classes that teach pragmatics will always be needed. This is a huge reason we do drama for communication in our classes.

[@SchlimmShadySmash]

this seems like a vlog, i just automatically assumed it be a talk in front of a crowd. either way, great stuff! i also think the classroom will be hard to replace entirely by technology as it has such a social function and potential that has not yet been reached, i would argue technology could help do just that if the right ideas come about. as for direct translation, i also think the advancements here would only then threaten our jobs as teachers when society accepts their use in everyday situations (+ work environments) in real time and replace the actual direct human interaction. i dont see that happening, honestly speaking. i actually feel that even that technology could be harnessed for language teaching, rather than it making teachers obsolete. maybe im just blind to the dangers ahead, though. great talk.

[@sirlandynor0014]

Dear Scott, It seems to me that we are walking into science fiction territory, for example in Star Trek there is the universal translator device which provides instantaneous translation among different cultures and sentient species.

[@lucastanga6732]

Redundant if you need to exchange some small talk, but do that trick for more than five minutes and it would become unbearable. If someone is interacting with foreigners on a daily basis you still need to speak the language.