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01/10/14 09.39Will Brain Wave Technology Eliminate the Need for a Second Language? | Zoltan Istvan

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Will Brain Wave Technology Eliminate the Need for a SecondLanguage?

Earlier this year, the first mind-to-mind communication took place. Hooked up to

 brain wave headsets, a researcher in India projected a thought to a colleague in

France, and they understood each other. Telepathy went from the pages of science

fiction to reality.

Using electroencephalography (EEG) sensors that pick up and monitor brain activity,

 brain wave technology has been advancing quickly in the last few years. A number of 

companies already sell basic brain wave reading devices, such as the Muse

headband. Some companies offer headsets that allow you to play a video game on

your iPhone using only thoughts. NeuroSky's MindWave can attach to Google Glassand allow you to take a picture and post it to Facebook and Twitter just by thinking

about it. Even the army has (not very well) flown a helicopter using only thoughts

and a brain wave headset.

Despite the immense interest in brain wave technology, little attention has been paid

to what translation apps--such as Google Translator--will mean to an upcoming gen-

eration that will likely embrace brain wave tech. Youth will surely ask: What is thepoint of learning a second language if everyone will be communicating with brain

wave headsets that can perform perfect real-time language translations?

The question is valid, even if it's sure to upset millions of second language teachers

and dozens of language learning companies, like publicly traded Rosetta Stone. Like

it or not, sophisticated brain wave headsets will soon become as cheap as cell phones.

A growing number of technologists think the future of communication lies in these

headsets, and not handheld devices or smart phones.

However, the question of whether it will be useful to learn a new language in the fu-

ture is about far more than just human communication and what technological form

that takes. Different languages introduce us to other cultures, other peoples, and oth-

er countries. This creates personal growth, offering invaluable examination on our

own culture and how we perceive the world. The process broadens who we are.

Being proficient in other languages also offers certain nuances that knowing only one

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