Commentaries & Opinion

Daniel Chan

A collection of published essays and commentaries on language, society, technology, and public life.

Showing all 7 commentaries
21 Feb
2026
The Straits Times

With AI Translation Tools, What's the Point of Learning Different Languages?

As machine translation grows ever more capable, a provocation on the purpose — and irreplaceable value — of language learning in the human experience.

21 Feb 2026
21 Feb
2026
联合早报 · Lianhe Zaobao

联合国国际母语日:青年之声 母语再生

On UN Mother Language Day, a call to rethink how we measure language vitality — arguing that mother tongues thrive not through exam scores, but through living use in homes, classrooms, and digital spaces.

21 Feb 2026
4 Nov
2025
Channel NewsAsia

Singlish is so much more than 'broken English'

As Singapore enters its seventh decade, we face a choice: keep treating Singlish as something to fix, or embrace it as a living emblem of who we are.

4 Nov 2025
29 Oct
2025
The Straits Times

A new divide at work: The AI fluent and the AI fearful

The problem with AI? Not everyone learns at the same pace — and that gap risks creating its own form of workplace inequality.

29 Oct 2025
27 Sep
2025
Channel NewsAsia

From 'skibidi' to 'tradwife', dictionary entries are never neutral

The real debate isn't whether internet slang counts as "proper English" — it's about which words get preserved, and who decides.

27 Sep 2025
12 Aug
2023
Channel NewsAsia

Singaporean who speaks 11 languages should inspire even those who struggle with our mother tongue

If we struggle with our mother tongue despite years in school, does that mean we lack innate talent for languages? Most of us are asking the wrong question.

12 Aug 2023
6 Dec
2021
Channel NewsAsia

Is it frivolous to learn Korean to appreciate Squid Game and K-drama shows?

We may be a pragmatic bunch, but learning new languages for the fun of it draws on our deep human yearning for connection.

6 Dec 2021

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