Does anyone else think studying foreign language is a waste of time for technological reasons?
Is learning to paint or draw a waste of time, now that we all have cameras in our pockets? Is it worth learning multiplication tables, now that we all have calculators? Is it even worth learning to spell?
I think in purely rational or economic terms, for an English speaker, you're probably right. I've had successful business trips to many places where I don't speak the language. As native-speakers of English, it is pretty uncommon to have a practical need for other languages anywhere in the world, even without technology.
So, some possible reasons to learn a language:
I think practicality still does come into it for some cases - relationships, friendship, business or perhaps a love of a particular aspect of a foreign culture. I know a couple of people who have studied Japanese for many years - one because of Manga/anime, the other because of the game Go.
There can be a certain prestige associated with knowing other languages. Perhaps less true in the US, but for most Europeans, speaking multiple languages would be the mark of an educated person.
Identification with a particular culture, ethnicity or religion is another possible reason. One might learn Arabic, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, Sanskrit etc. for religious purposes, or the language of one's parents to preserve a culture.
One might learn languages because of an interest in the subject of linguistics, or an interest in reviving minority or dead languages. That's quite a powerful motive here in Britain, where Manx & Cornish exist only as revived languages and where the number of Scots and Irish Gaelic first language speakers continues to decline.
Learning for the sake of learning is a strong motive in my case. Many studies have shown the correlation between bilingualism and greater intelligence and the role of language learning in old age in improving cognitive function, so there is the argument that it's good for you. I think it's hard to appreciate a different culture without knowing something of the language. Literature, jokes, ways of thinking are the stuff that gets lost in translation. If you only know English, you don't appreciate some of its odd features.