With shell, I can take the same tools I’ve already been using as one-liners while fiddling around, and reuse them. There is no syntax mapping to do in my head.
With any other language, I have to map the steps, and probably also add various modules (likely within stdlib, but still). That’s not nothing.
I’ve rewritten a somewhat-complicated bash script into Python. It takes some time, especially when you want to add tests.
I have a rule that if I’m using arrays I should move to Python, PHP, etc. It’s a nice red flag. Arrays in Bash are terrible and a sign that things are getting more complicated.
Personally, I'm fine with BASH arrays (even associative ones) and yes, the syntax can be opaque, but they get the job done. I find that the long-term advantages of BASH outweigh the many, many problems with it. (If you want something to keep running for 20 years on a variety of different machines and architectures, then BASH is easier to manage than almost any other language).