Commentary: Learning another language has benefits - just not the economic kind Toggle share menu Advertisement Commentary: Learning another language has benefits - just not the economic kind Learning a foreign language becomes pointless in this era of global English and machine translation, says the Financial Times' Simon Kuper. File photo of students. (Photo: AFP/Martin Bureau) 27 Apr 2021 06:10AM) Share this content Bookmark LONDON: I’m a rootless cosmopolitan, so we’re moving the family to Spain for a year. The kids are up for it. Growing up with anglophone parents in Paris, they speak French and English, and once you know one Romance language, learning another is a cinch.