Language & Culture are the Keys

QUESTION: Martin

Really enjoy the blog & Socrates. Has given me insights I otherwise would have never had. You have mentioned that one of the reasons why the EU will fail and the USA as a union works is a common language. With the pace of tech moving so quickly and nearing a point where we can get real time transition (see: https://futurism.com/sciencenonfiction/instanttranslation/ ) do you see this impacting the global currency system to form a single currency eventually?

Regards,

C

ANSWER: It depends on the group and class you are talking about. Real-time translation is helpful to business and the tech-savvy younger generation. However, it will take another decade for the bulk of the population to move into retirement or expire. Understanding another language is one thing, but to really speak a language fluently, you need to think in that language. There are concepts in Japanese that I think about in Japanese, and then I have to try to translate it back to English. So every language has a unique culture attached and a thinking process. Translation services will help in general communications, but it will still not overcome culture.