譯步亦趨｜翻譯軟件可以取代雙語教育？

今年中國「兩會」期間，某全國人大代表表示，經其「調研」發現，翻譯軟件解決問題的能力「高於義務教育的英語教學目標」，故提議不應再將英語（或外語）設為高考必考科目，甚至要禁止學生參加非官方的外語考試，反而應花更多時間培養學生的獨立思考能力、實踐能力和創新能力。

先不論培養思考、實踐和創新能力根本與學習外語沒有衝突，僅因為翻譯軟件發達而輕視外語教學，本身就足以一次過激怒翻譯和外語老師兩個行業。翻譯軟件有其限制，相信大家用過Google Translate就能明白，何況翻譯軟件要行得通，始終需要有資料輸入（input）和質素管控（quality control），也就是說，要有流暢運用兩種語言的人士提供回饋。覺得有了AI就能放任其自由學習發揮，似乎仍是癡心妄想。

在教育層面，現時大部分中國學生在語言學科中最弱的一環為「說」，大概是學校教育較重記默單詞而輕應用溝通的緣故。這足以證明單憑機械式翻譯詞句無助增強語文能力。退一萬步，撇除雙語學習在培養認知和溝通能力上的好處，中國人如果要繼續透過擅長的學術界發揮影響力，要把論文發佈到國際期刊，至少也要有基本辨別文法結構對錯的能力。前幾天就有TA在CU Secrets 上提到，內地同學使用翻譯軟件遞交功課，結果全篇不知其所以然，故只好給「F」的故事，側面印證這位全國人大代表提議的荒謬之處。

更重要的是，語言學習從來不只跟語言有關，也跟文化、價值息息相關。尊貴的全國人大代表之所以能夠臉不紅、氣不喘地建議廢除英語必修科，也反映中國在國際連結方面正在走回頭路。

During China’s “Two Sessions” this year, a representative claimed that English (or other foreign languages indeed) should no longer be a compulsory subject at high school as translation softwares are so advanced that they can meet the language needs at that level. Instead, students should invest more effort in developing skills such as independent thinking and innovation. 

Apart from being an obvious logical fallacy, the argument fails to address the current limitations of translation technology, which include the ongoing needs for data input and quality control, hence bilingual individuals. The thought of AI being an omniscient god capable of learning completely on its own remains a fantasy of this gentleman.

On the educational level, the representative’s remark may come unsurprising as it reflects the long-held tradition of English education in Mainland China, which involves the rote memorization of vocabulary and the mechanical translation of words and phrases. This, to a certain extent, resembles the learning process of AI technology, yet neglects the communicative and pragmatic aspects of language usage. 

Most importantly, language education is more than just language, but cultures and values. The fact that an honourable representative could raise the idea unabashedly in a formal national conference implies China’s backtracking in international policies.

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