jamager

7 ms·

1.
by jamager 1y ago
Duolingo doesn't work because that's the point. Same problem as dating apps: if you could actually learn a language with Duolingo, then you would stop using Duolingo. No good for business. The hard part is how to trick people into
2.
by jamager 1y ago
Yes. Also, they don't need much vocabulary, no grammar concerns, no reading/writing. We much overestimate how well kids learn, and how "easy" is for them. Many kids have language difficulties, and they usually know, and
3.
by jamager 1y ago
FSI estimates are taken from diplomatics who study full time in preparation for their job. Not a good approximation for most people. This is a far better one: https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wp-content/uplo
4.
by jamager 1y ago
I am working in this space as well. Habit formation / self-learning is a big easy because overwhelming majority of people prefers more structured / guided content. This makes SRS very niche. The part of seeing "You still need
5.
by jamager 1y ago
Yes, thou the main problem stated in the article ("memorizing the rectangles") is very real. Now, I don't think you need much magic / LLM stuff to overcome that problem: 1. Instead of the usual "1 new word, 1 card&q
6.
by jamager 1y ago
> What is "good for one's brain" (apart from proper nutrition and absence of concussions) is a strong education and healthy lifelong social interactions Sure, but I think this is more about the fact that what you don'
7.
by jamager 1y ago
Yes. AI transcription is great, AI translation is OK (depending on language pair), but TTS is still pretty awful for most languages.
8.
by jamager 1y ago
> nor is there ever going to be a 100% freedom-from-error That is not a problem. Language is messy, you don't need 100% accuracy to learn. The problem is that LLM errors are fundamentally different from human errors, and you won&#x2
9.
by jamager 1y ago
> Natural language acquisition is almost entirely listening and talking Listening and reading. Talking goes last. See Steve Kaufmann, for example
10.
by jamager 1y ago
Spaced repetition = information retrieval. You need the other part, encoding information. Best "trick" to encode information effectively is to "make it yours" in the best way you can. Develop, explore, follow rabbit hol
11.
by jamager 1y ago
For very popular languages: there are tons of human-made content specific for language learning, which is always far better than what any LLM can offer. For low resource / endangered languages: LLMs still suck. So no, I don't see
12.
by jamager 1y ago
Exactly. For projects taking multiple years, eventually motivation will run dry. Good habits is what compels you to do the thing when you don't feel like doing the thing.
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AI can't match the human art of translation(observer.co.uk)
1 points by jamager 1y ago|0 comments
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by jamager 1y ago
I apologize for the ad hominems. 1. You don't need to learn hundreds of random languages in order to claim you like languages. Most people feel attracted by some languages and not others, so your generalization point doesn't make
15.
by jamager 1y ago
> In general, I'm sorry to say, I think language learning is a tremendous waste of time and effort for almost everybody I take from that that you dont like Finnish, you learn it because you have to, and your level is not good enough
16.
by jamager 1y ago
You are right, I will get around that. For what is worth, I do not keep the email address.
17.
by jamager 1y ago
Rating yourself is an important trait of SRS, it forces you to think how you are doing, what is good enough and what not, what is more or less important, etc.
18.
by jamager 1y ago
For language learning only, but perhaps my own https://thehardway.app model suits you better (flashcards inside markdown-ish notes)
19.
by jamager 1y ago
This made my day, thanks!
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by jamager 1y ago
I wrote https://thehardway.guide just about that, in case it helps.
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by jamager 1y ago
Italki, LingQ, Languagetransfer, StoryLearning...
22.
by jamager 1y ago
There is nothing wrong with learning via translation. What Duolingo does wrong is many other things: emotional manipulation, lack of context, low content density, countless distractions, being mobile first, and a long list. But translation
23.
by jamager 1y ago
Daily practice is very important, yes, but languages are genuinely difficult beasts on their own. Thousands of words and grammar rules that you need to grasp real time. Just mindless or Duolingo-ish daily practice doesn't take you near
24.
by jamager 1y ago
No, it is because Duolingo is an addictive trap optimized for "engagement" (not learning) that requires you an absurd amount of time to progress very little, because it is explicitly designed to be ineffective with the looks of be
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by jamager 2y ago
The benefit of real human-made music is that you can make it for yourself. The goal shouldn't be to get other people to listen to it. It's very personal and that should be the end goal.
26.
by jamager 2y ago
Anki is in fact not an alternative to anything, it is the de-facto flashcard tool. Nothing else comes remotely close, free or paid.
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Learning a new language? Your mindset matters more than 'having a knack'(theconversation.com)
1 points by jamager 2y ago|0 comments
28.
by jamager 2y ago
i'd wish if retention was about useful features, but alas it is not. in modern day retention = any dark pattern and emotional manipulation trick to keep you "engaged" without actually learning, because if you learn something
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by jamager 2y ago
Thanks! I am the opposite, I always prefer local/offline if there is the option, I use 0 web apps. On the video, yes, I totally need a video. Good luck to you as well!
30.
by jamager 2y ago
thank you very much, will be happy to hear what you think!

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