6 days ago
Parlez-vous AI? Learn a language with your favourite chatbot
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I've been learning French on my own for some years, for no particular reason. They say learning a language keeps one's brain sharp. I could have accelerated the learning by going for classes or working with a French teacher, but that would be making homework out of something I find truly enjoyable. From being something I wanted to do, it would have become something I had to do.
I've been learning French on my own for some years, for no particular reason. They say learning a language keeps one's brain sharp. I could have accelerated the learning by going for classes or working with a French teacher, but that would be making homework out of something I find truly enjoyable. From being something I wanted to do, it would have become something I had to do.
So, it was with quite some delight that I discovered how one can learn with the AI assistants. There are apps dedicated to language learning, but they control you rather than you being in charge of how you learn. Duolingo, a well-known language app, has had me chasing streaks, tournaments, and leaderboards to the point where it's becoming an obstacle to learning. Enter AI
How does a chat assistant work any better, you might ask? First of all, it lets you set your own pace. With chat assistants, you can switch off when you like and come back when you like for as long as you like. There are times when I've practised a single sentence and then gone off to do something else. And there are times when I've spent hours at it, such as recently, when I discovered that I can combine several interests while learning. Also Read | Mint Explainer: Decoding AI's diagnostics edge in healthcare
Along with learning a language, I'm also very fond of several genres of music. Recently, I was revisiting the music of Fredric Chopin. Suddenly, it occurred to me to prompt Gemini for a biography of Chopin, in French. This way, I would get to know something about this musical genius—and learn some French as well.
I had a good time reading the biography repeatedly, smoothing pronunciation, learning new words in context, and translating the text. I'm planning to request grammar exercises based on this content as well. It's rather exciting to know that I can go on to a new topic any time, making it easier to converse about subjects that interest me. The partner in crime
Learning a language solo could obviously make conversation a challenge. That's exactly why language apps are building in conversation modules with which you can make a video call and talk—for an extra fee. Without the opportunity to talk to someone, you could be like a deer in the headlights when someone in real life does actually speak to you in the language you're learning. That's what happens to me, even after so many years of acquaintance with French.
But interestingly, this problem is slowly but surely diminishing with the use of the Live mode in Gemini, Grok, and ChatGPT. Go Live and ask to have a conversation. The AI will say: Sure, what would you like to talk about? Start practising. The conversation is natural and smooth. You can switch your main language on the fly to ask for any corrections and clarification. The text will be available for you to see. Also Read | AI won't pick your stocks and funds for you
Unlike humans, the AI doesn't judge you for any mistakes you make, is happy to repeat endlessly, and doesn't mind being interrupted. I often just use the voice mode rather than go Live to take the pressure off of me and have given standing instructions asking for correction, improvement and analysis of every sentence I speak or write. Everyone may not choose to do it like that, but I enjoy it.
Whenever you're ready to step up the level, you can say so, although the AI may raise the level on its own. I found that all my corrections and analyses were in French, which the chatbot figured I could handle. And it was right. You can ask the AI to test your level.
For those who don't know where to begin, ask the assistant to plan it out with you. Chart out what should be done first; let it create a schedule and even set a reminder if you like. The content can pivot towards whatever you think you need: tourist-friendly phrases (including referring to specific places and elements of culture), restaurant talk, business conversations or anything else.
Meanwhile, the availability of content to work with is limitless because anything, including a web page you're browsing, can be translated with a tap and you can use the translated text to read or reverse-translate. I like working with news items this way so that my vocabulary expands to pertinent words and phrases to make for more conversation fodder. Also Read | Outrage over AI is pointless if we're clueless about AI models
AI chatbots don't take the place of a human teacher. But if you don't have time to take separate classes or just want to supplement what you learn elsewhere, learning with one of them is really rewarding.
The New Normal: The world is at an inflexion point. Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to be as massive a revolution as the Internet has been. The option to just stay away from AI will not be available to most people, as all the tech we use takes the AI route. This column series introduces AI to the non-techie in an easy and relatable way, aiming to demystify and help a user to actually put the technology to good use in everyday life.
Mala Bhargava is most often described as a 'veteran' writer who has contributed to several publications in India since 1995. Her domain is personal tech, and she writes to simplify and demystify technology for a non-techie audience. Topics You May Be Interested In
