To learn or not to learn

There's been a discussion going on about whether people should continue trying to master English, or if parents should insist on their kids learning it. (Here is what I'm talking about. It's in Russian). Those arguing against it reason that in 20 years the artificial intelligence is going to advance greatly, and automatic translations will render useless the ability to speak a foreign language, English in particular.

Their opponents, with whom I side, point out that speaking or even understanding a foreign language goes beyond such utilitarian necessities as being able to converse with people from other countries. A lot had been said and written on how knowing more than one language makes a person intellectually and culturally multi-dimensional, allowing one to develop a new, often improved, mindset and personality. I fail to see how any acquired knowledge can become a disadvantage. Quoting Frank Smith once again (although I still don't know who he was), "One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way." English is but a key to all those doors languages one can learn after it.

Consequently, the argument about how speaking English doesn't provide any leverage in a non-English-speaking country doesn't convince me either. There are hundreds of languages spoken in the world; even if we limit our choice to a couple of dozen of them, I doubt one can easily choose which language one wishes to learn early enough. Moreover, when one already knows English, one can at any time move forward and learn the next language easier and faster. 

I wish everyone a nice weekend!