#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)

#EDIT: Added a great resource for ESL and African languages that weren't found elsewhere #I do NOT recommend memrise and will talk about it another day but #langblr #duolingo #duo #language learning #language learning apps #mandarinblr #resource #reference

[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 :)!

#language #language learning #langblr #languages #learning japanese #learning Spanish #learning French #Quinn posts #language learning apps #language learning resources #language learning advice #language tips #foreign languages #language resources #studyblr

[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.

#sickpunk #sick punk #accessibility #accessability #busuu #busuu language learning #language learning app #duolingo #language learning apps #langauge learning #langblr #c-punk #hard of hearing #disability advocacy #disability #italian and french #<- my language learning tag #large text #coloured text #colored text #big text #bold text

[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…

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#language learning apps #language learning resources #language learning youtubers #reading in spanish #spanish #spanish apps #spanish language #spanish resources #spanish textbooks

[rotarysadist]

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

#language learning #language learning apps #learning spanish #ask

[wordswithloveee]

Soo True 🖤‼️

#EDIT: Added a great resource for ESL and African languages that weren't found elsewhere #I do NOT recommend memrise and will talk about it another day but #langblr #duolingo #duo #language learning #language learning apps #mandarinblr #resource #reference #pjo #pjo disney+ #pjo tv spoilers #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #luke castellan #annabeth chase

[gaasublarb]

Me going back and failing level 1 duolingo challenges because abandoning vocabulary is Duo's favorite prank and I haven't had to say "lawyer" in over a year.

#duolingo #duolingo is shit #language learning #language learning apps #wasted 100 lingots #dark pattern

[el-secreto-emporium]

As you can see…..as an example…..👀

#🤣 #not poetry #language learning apps

[uhhhhmandarin]

I'm still using (and enjoying) Hello Chinese but I also downloaded HSK 1 from Chinesimple and I'm having a lot of fun with that.

#language learning apps #mandarin learning #chinese learning

[learnsimple]

Language Learning Apps vs. Traditional Classes: Navigating Your Path to Fluency

In the quest for linguistic mastery, learners are often faced with a pivotal decision: should they dive into the digital world of language learning apps, or embrace the structured environment of traditional classroom settings? This debate encapsulates more than just personal preference; it delves into the heart of how we acquire languages, the role of technology in education, and the evolving…

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#Apps #Language goals #Language learning #Language Learning apps #Language learning tips #Traditional Classes

[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.

#langblr #language learning apps #Memrise #duolingo #i hope this is coherent as I’m running on little sleep and a headache

[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.

#langblr #language #language learning #language learning apps #language learning resources #language learning tips

[spanishnote]

4 Best Apps for Language Learning

Learning a new language? There are plenty of apps to help you along that journey—but which one should you download? Look no further! Here I’ve compiled the 4 best apps for language learning, according to my personal experience, to help those who are on the search for language resources to help them on their language learning journey. With all of the wonderful resources available for language…

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#applications #apps #apps for language learning #best apps #language learning #language learning apps

[letslearnanything]

Ready to transform your travel experiences? Dive into our guide on learning local phrases before traveling and discover the keys to unlocking cultural connections, mastering essential greetings, and navigating with ease. Enhance your journeys with language. Dive in now and let the adventure begin!

#learning local phrases before traveling #cultural nuances #language learning apps #pronunciation basics

[ridiculoussquid]

I am SOOOOO pissed off about the changes to Memrise. All access to community courses (including your own) is gone (on both the app and the browser) once you try out the new version. I don't even want to think about how many hundreds and thousands of hours of work by users are just GONE. (Of course I had backed everything up on my own computer, but still...)

It narrows down the number of languages on that site, too. Before, there were hundreds of sometimes small and endangered languages on there, all added by dedicated users. Now there are eleven languages.

And all that in exchange for some generic language learning app that isn't even particularly good. I did all the in-house courses it previously had for the language I'm learning, and now it wanted me to practice words like "yes" and "thank you". The range of things you can do without a paid account is also seriously limited.

And the chatbot isn't terribly good either. The scenarios are unrealistic and wouldn't prepare me for the situation in real life at all. It misgenders me, even after I've used gender markers. It didn't mind when I used curse words, but when I told it I no longer wanted to talk to it, it told me such rudeness wouldn't be tolerated and that I shouldn't hurt anyone's feelings. (Though I admit, that last bit is almost funny.)

So I guess I'll be using only Anki from now on, unless I find a different vocabulary learning site that allows large courses and works for me.

It's really a shame because I used Memrise a lot and was quite happy with it. It was such a regular part of my daily routine and on some courses, I had streaks that were longer than 1500 days. I hate when companies ruin things by making what they think are improvements. I hope their user numbers really go down. I've already uninstalled the app.

#memrise #language learning apps #language learning #apps

[gabyle-journal]

Retomando y construyendo nuevos hábitos

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#Au pair #datacamp #entrepreneur #german #japanese #kansei #korean #language learning #language learning apps #polygloss