Technological disruption in foreign language teaching: The rise of simultaneous machine translation

The fear of technology replacing jobs can be traced back to Aristotle, who, before great technological advances existed, ventured that machines may one day end the need for human labor (Campa 2014). In the current era, there is overwhelming evidence of technological unemployment. This evidence comes in the form of jobs that were once common, but have largely been replaced by technology such as switchboard operators, travel agents, booth cashiers, bank tellers, and typists. These jobs still exist, but their numbers have declined sharply because they were easily replaced by technology. Statistical models indicate future job losses in these areas will continue with booth cashiers at an 84% risk of losing their jobs, travel agents at a 10% risk, and typists at an 81% risk (Frey & Osborne 2013). These, generally, entry level positions do not require specialized training or advanced degrees, which may explain some of the job losses. However, current trends indicate that training and advanced degrees do not necessarily offer protection against technological unemployment, with most analysts predicting that technology will soon replace lawyers (Markoff 2011), pharmacy technicians, and accountants (Frey & Osborne 2013). Unemployment in career sectors such as these will have adverse effects not only on the workers, but also on the systems that support them. When the need for lawyers, pharmacists, and accountants collapses, what will happen to law schools, colleges of pharmacy, and accounting departments that train specialists in these fields? What will happen to the support systems that depend on these jobs or the scholars that move these fields forward through research activities?