英译中，来自每日翻译

·英译中：

原文：

Travel has long been a motivator for study—unless people start to feel AI tools offer a good-enough service. Some are concerned that apps are turning language acquisition into a dwindling pursuit. Douglas Hofstadter, a polyglot and polymath writer, has argued that something profound will vanish when people talk through machines. He describes giving a halting, difficult speech in Mandarin, which required a lot of work but offered a sense of accomplishment at the end. Who would boast of taking a helicopter to the top of Mount Everest?

Others are less worried. Most people do not move abroad or have the kind of sustained contact with a foreign culture that requires them to put in the work to become fluent. Nor do most people learn languages for the purpose of humanising themselves or training their brains. On their holiday, they just want a beer and the spaghetti carbonara without incident (and sometimes without gluten).

As AI translation becomes an even more popular labour-saving tool, people will split into two groups. There will be those who want to stretch their minds, immerse themselves in other cultures or force their thinking into new pathways. This lot will still take on language study, often aided by technology. Others will look at learning a new language with a mix of admiration and puzzlement, as they might with extreme endurance sports: “Good for you, if that's your thing, but a bit painful for my taste.”

译文：

长期以来，旅行一直是学语言的动力，除非人们开始觉得AI工具提供的服务已足够好。一些人担心，应用程序正在使语言学习变得逐渐冷淡。通晓多种语言、博学作家道格拉斯·霍夫施塔特（Douglas Hofstadter）认为，当人们通过机器交流时，一些深层的东西将会消失。他描述了自己用普通话进行的一次磕磕绊绊、困难重重的演讲，虽然需要付出很多努力，但在结束时却带来了成就感。谁会吹嘘自己乘坐直升机登上了珠穆朗玛峰的顶峰？

其他人则不那么担心。大多人不会移居国外，也不会持续接触外国文化，无需努力使自己的语言变得流利。大多数人学习语言也不是为了提升自我修养或训练大脑。在假期里，他们只想喝杯啤酒，顺顺利利地吃一顿意大利面（有时还要求不含麸质）。

随着AI翻译成为一种更受欢迎的省力工具，人们将分成两派。一部分人希望开拓思维，沉浸在其他文化中，或迫使自己以新的方式思考问题。这部分人仍然会学习语言，通常会借助技术手段。另一部分人则会像对待极限耐力运动一样，对学习新语言表示既钦佩又不解：“如果你喜欢的话，那很好，但对我来说有点难以接受。”