In 2022, the launch of ChatGPT, a large language model chatbot, shook the world. It answered niche questions with neatly summarized paragraphs, leapfrogging a labyrinth of manual searches. Overnight, all the information in the world became more than just accessible, but deliverable on a platter by a machine fluent in every language. This revolution raises the question: why learn other languages? Philosophy was not on my mind when I set off to study abroad for seven weeks in Barcelona, Spain. However, my experience gave me insight into the value of language beyond direct communication and into the untranslatable: shaping how we identify ourselves and with others.
I had heard about Barcelona’s identity crisis before. As the capital of Catalonia, one of 17 autonomous regions in Spain, Barcelona carries a long tradition of repression and self-determination. Activism still persists today, most notably in 2017 with an unconstitutional and unsuccessful independence referendum. I had read that Catalans’ pride in their culture—particularly in their language, Catalan—is enduring. But not until I arrived did it dawn on me just how alive the identity question was.
This cultural distinctiveness was evident right upon deplaning. All signs were in Catalan, Spanish (officially called Castilian) and English following. While waiting at customs, I overheard bemused tourists consult each other on what this language was, settling eventually on “classic Spanish.” Later, before orientation, I chatted in clumsy Spanish with some local students. While jet lag blurred the day, one moment is branded in my memory: the topic of Catalan came up, and I rattled off the handful of words I’d prepared for my trip: bon día (good morning), gràcies (thank you), si us plau (please). Out of the corner of my eye I saw one girl whip around. “That’s Catalan!” she exclaimed, “how do you know that?” Even now, I can remember how her eyes lit up.
Week by week, I became more attuned to how language carves culture. As I befriended locals, I was shocked by their disconnect from Spanish. They were fluent but rarely used it; they laughed at their accent. No one identified as Spanish but instead identified as Catalan, whether they supported independence or not. Some even distrusted Madrid—one friend described to me his feelings of distrust while watching the national police march into towns during the referendum. While visiting Madrid, I got to speak to a local with an opposing perspective. She found it “regrettable” that Spain viewed Catalonia as part of itself, but it wasn’t mutual. At one point, she even requested that I don’t speak Catalan to her when I said “plaça” instead of “plaza.” This was a full circle moment for me, showing that language can divide as well as unite.
The city of Barcelona also spoke: All signs were in Catalan. The Catalan coat of arms adorned public buildings. Catalan flags and pro-independence flags dotted apartment balconies, with the national flag few and far between. When I watched the city’s livestream of the FC Barça women’s soccer team playing the UEFA championship—where else but in Plaça de Catalunya? —every flag in the crowd sported the Catalonian stripes; the team crest itself even wears the Catalan flag.
With all that I’d soaked in from my trip, I found myself reflecting on the function and value of language. Much of my learning came during meals that stretched for hours, chatting with friends over emptied plates. In their culture, eating is more than sustenance—it’s social communion. In the same manner, language is more than a technical tool, but a window into culture. This is why my local friends, though able to navigate perfectly in three languages, defended Catalan being the dominant language on the street and in school. Language is more than how we understand words; it’s how we understand ourselves. AI may soon master the mechanical side of language, translating A to B. Machines, though, can only conceptualize language as an ends, while we use language as a means. Rather than rendering language learning obsolete, our advancing machines make it more important. After all, ChatGPT is brilliant because it’s trained on all the texts we’ve written: our history, culture, reflections. Connecting with each other through language is what connects us with humanity.
After seven weeks flew by me, I said goodbye to the friends I’d made. I realized that no one said their final goodbye to me in Spanish, even though I don’t speak Catalan: it came to them instinctively, heartfelt, and I understood them anyway. Their sentiment transcended language.
