Is it the responsibility of the taxpayer to fund the education for the leisure activity of the upper middle classes (speaking with foreigners or reading translated literature).

The education system that exists today (k12 + college) is a McReplica of what aristocratic people of earlier centuries considered fit for their children (who would never actually need to work). We're living the enviousness of the middle classes of a century ago (this same principle applies to the McMansions). It has no relation to what a more perfected reality could be.

With respect to google translate, I think we'll see a lot of improvements. I expect to see human level performance within 5 years (it's a "let the computers run long enough" + "enough data" problem).