AI translation kills, Chinese universities may cancel English courses

Shenzhen University of Technology plans to phase out traditional college English classes and switch themcross-cultural communication class. Behind this is not simply the claim that “English is no longer important,” but rather that AI-powered real-time translation is reshaping university foreign language education: foundational language training is taking a back seat, while cultural understanding, critical thinking, and AI literacy are being brought to the forefront.

English class to be replaced

Zhao Wei, the dean of Shenzhen University of Technology, stated in the school's social media video that students who apply for the school in 2026 will enter an experimental curriculum system. College English classes will be phased out in favor of cross-cultural communication courses.

These new courses no longer focus on words, grammar and exams, but help students understand Chinese and Western cultures and communicate more confidently and appropriately with overseas people.

AI tear down the language threshold first

Zhao Wei mentioned that real-time translation tools have become more and more mature. One person speaks English and the other person can hear Chinese through headphones; one person speaks Chinese and the other person may also hear Spanish directly.

This means that simply "understanding what the other party is saying" is being quickly taken over by technology. College English classes, if they remain on basic language training, will be squeezed by AI tools.

What should people learn?

The school's judgment is that the really difficult part is not translation, but how people deal with each other.

In business negotiations, cultural exchanges, and international cooperation, AI can help to transfer languages, but it is difficult to complete judgment, discretion, affection and etiquette for others. When to be direct and when to be euphemistic; How to express different opinions; How to understand each other's cultural background is what the new curriculum wants to train.

Foreign language education is turning

In recent years, Chinese universities have been discussing the reform of foreign language education in the AI era. At the end of June, Hunan also held a seminar on foreign language education reform. He Xuhui, vice president of Central South University, mentioned that the basic language skills of post -00 college students are stronger, and AI technology is also promoting teaching changes.

Li Defeng, deputy dean of the School of Humanities of the University of Macau, proposed that foreign language education in the AI era should shift from simple language skills to the four dimensions of "language ability, cross-cultural communication, critical thinking, and AI literacy.

Research pressure is also loosening

This change did not happen suddenly. In recent years, some colleges and universities have reduced the credits of public English courses, and some schools have canceled the strong binding between English grade examination and graduation.

Xi'an Jiaotong University announced in 2023 that CET-4 and CET-6 will no longer be a necessary condition for undergraduate graduation and degree awarding. Wang Feng, an educational researcher, analyzed at that time that with the obvious improvement of high school students' English level, it was not necessary for universities to use unified examinations to force students to prove their basic abilities, and different majors could set more flexible requirements.

Conclusion

AI will not make English completely worthless, but it will force universities to answer a new question: what else should people practice in the classroom when machines can already help people translate? The answer is becoming clearer and clearer that future foreign language classes will not only teach "how to speak English", but will teach students more about how to understand the world, how to judge the context, and how to work with others with their own cultural experience.