AI Can Help You Order Coffee… But It Won’t Laugh at Your Jokes

Ah, the joy of travelling: new landscapes, new food, new people… and that little moment of panic when you try to order an English breakfast and your mind suddenly goes blank. These days, many people reach straight for their smartphone — but where’s the fun in that?!

With translation apps, you can order breakfast in London, book a hotel in New York, or even decipher the road sign “Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch” in Wales! Honestly, these tools are brilliant — fast, practical, and genuinely impressive.

But while AI can help you say the right words, it can’t replace a real conversation. It won’t smile when you try out your first full sentence in English. It won’t share a story about its grandmother’s scone recipe while you sip a cup of tea. And it certainly won’t appreciate your sense of humour (don’t worry, even humans struggle with British humour sometimes).

Because language is more than just words — it’s people. It’s culture, humour, history, context. It’s the sparkle in someone’s eye when you try to speak their language. It’s the awkward pauses, the gestures, the laughs — and the unforgettable moment when your friend accidentally mispronounces “face” and ends up talking about sunburn on her “fesse”! These are the wonderfully human moments that make travelling so special.

Here at ELC, we’re just beginning to explore the world of AI. It’s a fantastic tool for learning, and a helpful travel companion. But we also believe nothing can replace the human element — that moment of connection with someone from another culture, even if your sentence isn’t perfect.

So when you have the opportunity, be brave! Speak to real people. Make mistakes. Laugh. Learn. That’s how your English truly comes to life. And we’re here to help — with a little support from technology, and a lot of human encouragement.