Best-selling author Gaston Dorren warns that new technology that lets people speak to anyone without learning a foreign language, could be English’s undoing .
He said , “We will at some point have devices that translate our speech into any major language.
He said learning foreign languages will still be valuable for all sorts of cultural and psychological reasons, but the majority won’t bother.
Dorren said for the best part of a century, English speakers have dominated the world both economically and culturally.
"What happens when we learn a second language? We are more at ease with different beliefs and traditions and we are less afraid of those who are different from us," said Dorren.
He said when learning different languages, we're less afraid in a society where different cultures are represented and coexist.
"And in that sense, I think bi-lingualism is a big part of the antidote against one of the major afflictions of today's Europe, which is obviously xenophobia," said Dorren.
He said it's never too late to learn a new language or teach your grandchildren or grandparents.