Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Christer Cederberg.
Two months ago, I had not even found my pew when one of our older (than I) members came running up to me. Was I in trouble? What followed next was totally unexpected – she was so appreciative of my “fun and educational devotion!” My brain began to spin. What had I written? Then she said the clarifying word: ChatGPT. Yes, of course. Those three devotions were fun to write. As an engineer, I am so glad that information on new technology can find such receptive ears!
But what should I write about now, I wondered, since I had just offered to write another devotion. “Languages,” Carol Swanson told me. “You speak a few of them!”
Math and engineering were my forte in school, but I still studied four languages, and even now I can get by in three of them. As far as I can remember, I actually enjoyed studying languages and etymology. As they say, the more languages you know, the more you can tie them together – that is, unless you study Finnish. Furthermore, knowing more languages makes travel more enjoyable.
As it happens, I now may have to add Spanish to my repertoire. This past week, Pastor Peter presided over Linnea’s wedding with her now-husband Will in Wyoming – and Will’s parents grew up in Peru and Puerto Rico!
But as I look to the future, I’m starting to wonder – will learning languages in school become as optional as learning the multiplication table today? After all, there are real-time translation apps on our phones. Our former church member, Damien Riehl, ten years ago let me try his Google glasses. Already then, the glasses could see, read, translate, and lay out an entire digital display for me right in front of my eyes. Pretty cool, but honestly I think I’d want the information in my ears or rather straight into my brain. And no, I hope we all continue to learn languages – the “normal” way. In Acts chapter 2, verse 6, we read:
“Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”
What a bunch of early polyglots! How did that happen? An early miracle? Could it ever happen again? I decided to Google a bit, and I found a head-to-head review of different translating earbuds. On sale, for some $90, I could get the Vital Translate Buds, rated #1 (9.9/10). They listen and translate directly into my ears without the original voice and surrounding noise. With their phone app, you can just tell which of the 144 supported input languages to translate from!
Wow! I was surprised at what my hunch had found. But hearing is only one part. If everybody could also process what they hear, would we make more progress? It’s good if we hear Pastor Peter’s words, but it is better if we also process his words and let them impact our mindset and actions. That processing, though, is a separate beast.
So when will we see the Vital Processing App for our phones? Choose your desired interpreter based on your values: Christian, MAGA, Hindu, Progressive, Libertarian, etc. How would Christian values process a speech from our current President? Silence? Disbelief?
PS! As I was writing this, I Googled some more and saw that just 55 minutes ago this demo was released: Google demos Android XR glasses at I/O with live language translation
Let us pray together: Loving God, thank you for giving us the ability to listen, try to understand one another, and act on what we hear to help those around us. Please help us listen, understand, and act in ways that reflect your deep unconditional love. Amen.