Hi craisin,
Google translate has opened the Chinese world for me and then you thank the angels they have come up with Google translate, how else would a non-native work Baidu?(have the specific dll-s in Windows to give me Chinese symbols). And all over the world you find Chinese - in Indonesia, in Malay, the Philippines, and many, many countries in Asia and the rest of our beautiful planet. And if you do not have access to the original language, you do not have access to that world and that culture.
If I had not acquired a bit later in life a fair command of the Polish language I would never had access to the culture of the land of my dear wife. And every language you acquire is opening up a complete new world for you. But on the other hand we always will need native speakers, language specialists and analysts,
polonus (and proud of that nick)