#Language Learning apps

[ruhua-langblr]

Duolingo Sucks, Now What?: A Guide

Now that the quality of Duolingo has fallen (even more) due to AI and people are more willing to make the jump here are just some alternative apps and what languages they have:

"I just want an identical experience to DL"

Busuu (Languages: Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Korean)

"I want a good audio-based app"

Language Transfer (Languages: French, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, English for Spanish Speakers)

"I want a good audio-based app and money's no object"

Pimsleur (Literally so many languages)

Glossika (Also a lot of languages, but minority languages are free)

*anecdote: I borrowed my brother's Japanese Pimsleur CD as a kid and I still remember how to say the weather is nice over a decade later. You can find the CDs at libraries and "other" places I'm sure.

"I have a pretty neat library card"

Mango (Languages: So many and the endangered/Indigenous courses are free even if you don't have a library that has a partnership with Mango)

Transparent Language: (Languages: THE MOST! Also the one that has the widest variety of African languages! Perhaps the most diverse in ESL and learning a foreign language not in English)

"I want SRS flashcards and have an android"

AnkiDroid: (Theoretically all languages, pre-made decks can be found easily)

"I want SRS flashcards and I have an iphone"

AnkiApp: It's almost as good as AnkiDroid and free compared to the official Anki app for iphone

"I don't mind ads and just want to learn Korean"

lingory

"I want an app made for Mandarin that's BETTER than DL and has multiple languages to learn Mandarin in"

ChineseSkill (You can use their older version of the course for free)

"I don't like any of these apps you mentioned already, give me one more"

Bunpo: (Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin)

[survivetoread]

I'm a big fan of extensive reading apps for language learning, and even collaborated on such an app some 10 years ago. It eventually had to be shut down, sadly enough.

Right now, the biggest one in the market is the paywalled LingQ, which is pretty good, but well, requires money.

There's also the OG programs, LWT (Learning With Texts) and FLTR (Foreign Language Text Reader), which are so cumbersome to set up and use that I'm not going to bother with them.

I presently use Vocab Tracker as my daily driver, but I took a spin around GitHub to see what fresh new stuff is being developed. Here's an overview of what I found, as well as VT itself.

(There were a few more, like Aprelendo and TextLingo, which did not have end-user-friendly installations, so I'm not counting them).

Vocab Tracker

++ Available on web ++ 1-5 word-marking hotkeys and instant meanings makes using it a breeze ++ Supports websites

-- Default meaning/translation is not always reliable -- No custom languages -- Ugliest interface by far -- Does not always recognise user-selected phrases -- Virtually unusable on mobile -- Most likely no longer maintained/developed

Lute

++ Supports virtually all languages (custom language support), including Hindi and Sanskrit ++ Per-language, customisable dictionary settings ++ Excellent, customisable hotkey support

-- No instant meaning look-up makes it cumbersome to use, as you have to load an external dictionary for each word -- Docker installation

LinguaCafe

++ Instant meanings thanks to pre-loaded dictionaries ++ Supports ebooks, YouTube, subtitles, and websites ++ Customisable fonts ++ Best interface of the bunch

== Has 7 word learning levels, which may be too many for some

-- Hotkeys are not customisable (yet) and existing ones are a bit cumbersome (0 for known, for eg.) -- No online dictionary look-up other than DeepL, which requires an API key (not an intuitive process) -- No custom languages -- Supports a maximum of 15,000 characters per "chapter", making organising longer texts cumbersome -- Docker installation

Dzelda

++ Supports pdf and epub ++ Available on web

-- Requires confirming meaning for each word to mark that word, making it less efficient to read through -- No custom languages, supports only some Latin-script languages -- No user-customisable dictionaries (has a Google Form to suggest more dictionaries)

[neristudy]

I would really like to share this app with all of you - Polygloss!

The premise is really simple - you are given a picture, and you need to describe it in a way that the other person will understand! Then, you'll be given the other person's description, and will need to figure out, which picture it is!

I cannot say enough how good it is for your brain. And if you will make a mistake, don't worry - other person can correct it, and you'll be able to give them a lil' reward as a thanks!

As you can see, I have a long road ahead. But maybe, we can go on this walk together!

Feel free to join me! (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

Also yeah, there's a lot of languages, not just Eng and German owo

[adhd-languages]

Keeping up your Languages when you’re Busy

Confession: I’ve been slacking on Japanese recently because my life has been so hectic recently. So here are some of the ways I’ve been trying to keep it in my brain when I can’t dedicate a lot of time to studying.

CHANGE YOUR PHONE LANGUAGE

This applies to computers as well! This is the easiest way to ensure you see at least some of your target language every day. It’s good for any level, even beginners.

If you haven’t already done this, do it now. I understand that some things are important and you need to be sure you understand them — in that case, you can always change individual apps to have different languages, just look up the app name in settings.

Podcasts/Music

Find some podcasts in your target language and listen to them before bed, during your commute, whatever. There are lots of podcasts made specifically for learners, or you can look up topics in your target language to find a podcast you might enjoy.

Music is also an amazing way to hear your target language being used. If you find an artist you like, that’s another good way to study your TL! Follow them on socials, look up interviews with them, etc.

Talk to Yourself

Any spare minute you have, talk to yourself in your target language. It doesn’t need to be out loud. You can have a conversation with yourself, try to express how you’re feeling, make up stories, or just describe the things around you in your target language. This is also a good way to see what kind of vocabulary you’re missing.

Apps

Duolingo has fired a ton of translators and started using crappy AI translations — so they’re probably not the best choice.

I’d recommend dictionary app that has some sort of flash card feature is also good, or an anki deck. Drops is good, and has a lot of languages, but keep in mind you’ll need audio. Anything that’s easy to get out and do for even just a few minutes is perfect.

Apps won’t teach you a language on their own, but doing a little every day helps remind me the language exists and keeps it in my mind.

Texting/Writing/Posting

Whether your friends know your TL or not, force them to experience it by randomly messaging in Japanese! Or, if you feel fancy, download an app like “HelloTalk”, “Tandem”, “Speaky”, “Tabee”…there are a lot.

If you keep a digital journal (like I do…inconsistently), try to write some entries in your TL.

If you have a blog, which I assume you do, post in your TL. Even if you’re a beginner, you can make a sideblog dedicated to saying stuff like “I’m hungry” and “Green is my favourite colour” in your target language.

Open your notes app and just write random words you can remember or sentences you can string together.

I know it’s really difficult, and don’t beat yourself up because you aren’t studying as hard. A language can be a lifelong companion — you’ll have phases of studying constantly, and sometimes it’ll take the back seat, but there’s no rush to learn it. Have a great day :)!

[valewritessss]

Okay jeez—

[solarianvoidthearoace]

Because of the mess that Duolingo turned out to be, I checked out a recommended app (list of recommendations here.)

I tried Busuu today and it’s great!

It actually uses the language skill levels of A1/ A2/ B1/ B2 that are used to compare language proficiency.

The assessment test was swift and didn’t feel pressuring, you can actually re-do the assessment for a language you already started whenever you feel like it!

However, one major point of critique (which is actually about accessibility): you can not turn off speaking exercises in Busuu. You can only repeatedly click “skip” whenever they pop up. But you can not just say “I don’t want/ can’t do speaking exercise at all.” And the same goes for listening exercises but worse because you can’t even skip those within your regular exercises/ lessons!

Disclaimer: I am not Deaf/ deaf nor mute. To me these things are annoyances more than actual accessibility issues but it does make Busuu feel rather inaccessible. Sometimes I just don’t want to deal with listening exercises. And I generally don’t like speaking “on command” or vocally replying to prompts. But, again, for me these are preferences.

I know speaking and listening exercises are important to achieve an actual comprehension for a language and I recognise avoiding speaking/ listening might slow down my progression in my chosen languages of study. I recognise that I need to and do consume media where I need to listen to the languages I’m learning.

To other people, it is an actual problem of accessibility that you can not universally turn off speaking/ listening exercises in Busuu.

I just figured this might be an issue people will inevitably notice now that we are changing away from Duolingo in droves and someone had to make a post about it.

[lingoallu]

also, I just saw that lingodeer has a hindi course now, so maybe I'll test it and see if it's better than the duolingo course

[mariathemillennial]

Spanish Language Learning Resources

A list of Spanish language learning resources (books, youtubers, apps and more)

In the past two years, my interest in the Spanish language has grown almost at the same level as my interest in Japanese. During my studies, I have found multiple interesting resources and I wish to share them with you. I have always valued good resource recommendations from others, so I wanted to make my own list of recommendations. I hope this will be helpful to other language learners out…

[lingoyaks]

Kickstarter Campaign Coming Soon.

Hi there! I’m John Francis. I am a programmer and former English teacher in Mexico with more than 10 experience. 

Introducing my project.

LingoYak AI: The Future of Language Learning. It's coming soon on kickstarter.

My passion for language learning began long before this project. Back in 2019, I created Language Chat after learning French and Spanish through the very method I now share with you.

I wanted a language system that doesn't restrict my learning.  A system without limits. A system I could consider as an asset.  A system that would allow me to expand my learning progressively from my daily activities or things already know in my native language.

Now, we’re entering an exciting new chapter: Advanced AI models are supercharging the Language AI Chat experience, blending the best of human-centered learning with smart, adaptive tech.

[mbiceta]

Duolingo: A Game-Changer for Casual Learners, But a Trap for Fluency Seekers

Duolingo turns language learning into a game, for better or worse. It has changed dramatically since my last review so an update is definitely in order. As I know Chinese already I was dragged against my will into dove into the Japanese course using Chinese as the native language because why not take advantage of my existing knowledge? The Positives That Still Remain Brilliant Addictive…

[rigelmejo]

I'm sad to report that, despite some of it's flaws, glossika app is STILL the best just press "listen" and study new, or study review, and be done with it. No more planning necessary, no need to look at the app constantly, you can minimize the app or lock your screen and it keeps working fine, it separates new and prior-studied sentences so you can truly pick just learn NEW, or Review, and not have to figure out yourself which sentences you were on or which are new.

I found a few more language learning apps for japanese yesterday. I recommend 2 of them, but their listening mode capabilities are no where near as useful/effortless as glossika app.

1. https://hammer.app/app This site seems similar to the japanese core 6k anki deck, but on a non anki site. This site is easy to navigate, provides a lot of audio and sentence examples, and seems very easy to use. I can see this user interface being preferable to some people over anki. The vocabulary levels go up to 6000 words which is useful for beginners OR intermediate learners. It also has a few different review study options, one is a listening mode. Unfortunately (for me) the listening mode can only do a limited number of words/sentences, and only includes sentences you're reviewing (no new sentences/words). That said, the audio feature is still nice if you like using something like that. You can download the generated short audio files too, to focus on just studying X words for a few days. Your listening does not count as reviews in the app though, so you still need to treat all sentences like Anki - actually view and quiz yourself until youre frequently right, or else the cards wont be considered "learned." So Hammer works similar to typical SRS apps and you must review the normal SRS flashcard way for flashcards to be marked as learned. It's additional features seem to be for your personal preference, but do not contribute to your learned % for the sentences/words.

2. Torii SRS another nice little equivalent to japanese core 6k anki deck for those people not using anki. It is like anki SRS, but the user interface is a bit different. It has MORE example sentences, and a few more tools than if you were using the anki flashcard deck. It's nice if you enjoy the interface it has.

[ruhua-langblr]

why is memrise not a good language learning app? sorry if it sounds rude, only a genuine question. you said that you would explain in another post (talking abt the "duolingo sucks" post tags btw) and i didnt see anything abt it :(

Not rude at all! I addressed it a little bit in this ask, but I never did fully elaborate.

The short version is that the problems with Duolingo (cutting community features and shifting more on AI) are also happening with Memrise.

Longer version is that one of the best features of Memrise imho was the community courses. Especially since Quizlet has monetized many features, it seemed to fill that niche very well. The base courses used real audio and video, which is a big upgrade from DL. Along with the removal of community courses, the forums were also removed. This disconnects users from not just each other, but also from having a public method to address the company. I found the official Memrise explanations for these decisions to be unsatisfying. Fortunately for many users, someone in the Memrise community has been uploading community courses to a new site—mylittlewordland! No app atm, and very bare bones, but still functional! Definitely worth checking out.

I created that post as a way to give people easy alternatives to switch to, and while the main courses of Memrise are better than DL, I feel that it would become yet another dead end of corporate greed. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the apps I did recommend also eventually go down this path—some are in the early stages for sure. Ultimately, I decided to recommend what seemed like the easiest alternatives to switch to as people are hesitant to make changes to something that has become a part of their routine.

I want to make another post of what I think are the most helpful resources for language learning, but it will be not be a list of easy gamified 5-minute lessons. I don't fault anyone for wanting to learn that way—not everyone is serious about wanting to achieve fluency and that's fine. However, I think there should be a discussion about how limited and limiting the "app experience" is.

[survivetoread]

By the way, I worked with the LanguageCrush creator add a whole bunch of external dictionaries for South Asian languages, including, of course, Marathi.

I wanted to add IIT Bombay's Marathi Wordnet, but unfortunately, their site doesn't have a search URL I could use.

I also went ahead and did the research to find and add dictionaries for: Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam.

This makes LanguageCrush one of the most robust vocab-reading platforms out there for South Asian languages.

[neristudy]

Sharing my language learning apps!~

I am not such a fan of "1000 and 1 app for every language" tbh, because mostly, i am just getting overwhelmed. I don't even use those every day, exept for 3 or 4 - and it's okay~

But anyway - my apps and their uses!

GERMAN // top and bottom row

Babbel - my main app, the best app for learning German for me, esp because there's a German course for Ukrainian learners. Also, it can be used w/o paying and w/o hella annoying adds. I love it.

Flashcards - basically for me, its Anki but better. Oh, but how can something beat The Anki? Answer is simple, because oh my siblings in Christ, how miserable I was, trying to set up Anki. It's long, its sad, and most of the time there's no sound! Flashkards, in turn, can be set up in minutes, even less, and has voice overs! In any languages! So I can even set up German/Ukrainian decks! Really useful, and, again, no ads.

Clozemaster - my gamification/listening stuff. I even have a guide for it!~

Tutor Lily - the least annoying chatbot for me, so I can train german speaking&writing. A bit silly, but a lot better for my anixiety than speaking to a real person! Has only 10 free messages per day, but if you speak/write a lot, you can really make them count.

Deutsche Welle - I honestly don't really love their explanation and find them a bit lacking, but I wanna use their german course as a bit of a crutch to my real life one!~

LEO - it's not a learning app per ce, its a dictionary. And really good one, at that! Really useful for me to find those pesky articles xD

CHINESE // second row

HelloChinese - my main app. And really, it's the app that brings me the most joy. It has native people speaking, it has a funny mascot, and honestly, it's first language learning app where I really think about buying premium at some point. It's really good, and fun!!

Lingodeer - a bit less fun and more focused. I find it a lot more "school-like", if that's make sence. Almost no fun, 100% concentration on a study. I am using it from time to time, but it's a lot harder for me to stay commited to it.

Immersive Chinese - basically a character drill app. A lot of concentrated knowlege and uses for a specific characters, I honestly use it and Lingodeer pretty interchangebly.

JAPANESE // third row

Renshuu - my main app. It has character drills, it has fun, it has everything. Honestly, one can use this as their main app, and with some books an youtube get pretty good, I think!~

Learn Japanese - kanji & hiragana drills, a bit extra to rensuu ones!

YuSpeak - basically a bit extra, as well, but in sentences and learning. Haven't use it as much as Renshuu and Lean Japanese, but it's a lot similar to HelloChinese (even from the same developers? Not sure) so hopefully will use it more in future~

Please, note that no app, even the greatest app in the world, will teach you the language by itself. But it can always be a fun hobby, give you a really strong foundation for a future course, or even just give you a bit of a taste for language to understand, do you want to commit or not, and it's tottaly, 110% okay.

Just make sure to not get unrealistic expectation of "I finish course in app X and will be fluent". It does not work like that, nor should it.

[adhd-languages]

Polylogger is a very simple but effective app. Does exactly what it’s supposed to do, with no annoying extra nonsense or adverts.

I’d recommend it, as personally I find it motivating to be able to record how much I study.

[rotarysadist]

Hey tumblr, what’s a good language learning app you’ve had a positive or a bit above neutral experience with?