Estimates place the number of languages that exist in the world today at approximately 7000. This is a number that steadily declines over time as the world becomes more globalized and small native populations abandon their roots or die out. Around half of the languages that still exist are considered threatened and will, if left unchecked, most likely disappear in the near future.
Linguists are looking to counter this trend and preserve this linguistic heritage before it is too late. This could be seen as a process similar to the way archaeologists might preserve an artifact or a site. Though no one may again speak a given language, at least the record of it will remain. Projects to protect these dying languages have been going on for years, though new technologies are making the process much easier.
One such manifestation of technology is that of social media. Applications are being developed which teach or translate some of the more obscure languages. This also enables the members of what are sometimes very widespread linguistic communities to communicate in their native tongues, thus keeping the language alive.
This process is an important part of recording historical knowledge to be passed down through the generations. Different cultures have different world-views and different tales to tell, but much of what can be translated can not be fully understood without knowledge of how the language genuinely works.
Luckily, there are a great many researchers devoted to this cause, wandering into the most obscure places to retrieve nearly-lost languages and preserve them for the future. Technology may even help to keep some of these from dying out, encourage native speakers to spread the heritage of their language to others across the world.