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Show HN: Learn any language with an AI tutor at your own pace

fluffytutor.com

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Re: Show HN: Learn any language with an AI tutor at your own pace

#12

Post by kjellsbells »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #5

I have a feeling that soon we will stop learning new languages to communicate with others because real-time AI translation will be so good, and we'll learn languages in a vacuum for intellectual amusement only, barely getting past the A2 level due to the lack of true human stimulation in the activity. This tool is certainly a step in that direction, and it strikes me as a great loss to humanity because we are losing…

Depends on the language and the reason to learn it. Right now its pretty discouraging. I pick up, say, enough Italian to get through a 2 week holiday, but all the people I interact with are under 40 and keen to practice their (excellent) English. English is so much the Common Tongue that I even hear the French and German visitors using it.

But: if I can get thru that, and start to engage with (say) Italy at a deeper level, away from tourist activities, or starting to engage with their literature, then learning the language will have a huge payoff. It's just a bit disheartening when you struggle to reach A2 or B1 but can't use it in the country because everyone switches to English. I guess my accent needs more work than I thought...

Re: Show HN: Learn any language with an AI tutor at your own pace

#13

Post by acover »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #5

I have a feeling that soon we will stop learning new languages to communicate with others because real-time AI translation will be so good, and we'll learn languages in a vacuum for intellectual amusement only, barely getting past the A2 level due to the lack of true human stimulation in the activity. This tool is certainly a step in that direction, and it strikes me as a great loss to humanity because we are losing…

I agree that the importance of knowing another language will decrease but being fluent will still be better than having a translator in between.

Re: Show HN: Learn any language with an AI tutor at your own pace

#17

Post by Swizec »

kjellsbells wrote: post #12
vouaobrasil wrote: post #5

I have a feeling that soon we will stop learning new languages to communicate with others because real-time AI translation will be so good, and we'll learn languages in a vacuum for intellectual amusement only, barely getting past the A2 level due to the lack of true human stimulation in the activity. This tool is certainly a step in that direction, and it strikes me as a great loss to humanity because we are losing…

Depends on the language and the reason to learn it. Right now its pretty discouraging. I pick up, say, enough Italian to get through a 2 week holiday, but all the people I interact with are under 40 and keen to practice their (excellent) English. English is so much the Common Tongue that I even hear the French and German visitors using it. But: if I can get thru that, and start to engage with (say) Italy at a deeper…

> But: if I can get thru that, and start to engage with (say) Italy at a deeper level

I was at a native+ level of English in high school according to an IELTS test I took for fun. During college my English improved further.

When I moved to USA … ho boy the difference between fluent English and culturally fluent idiomatic English is surprisingly vast. Much hilarity, frustration, and subtle misunderstandings ensued. It’s like an uncanny valley when your language is so good you start being judged as a native who’s a little weird and unsettling.

After 9 years of full immersion (I live here with nobody of my native language to speak with), you could say my English is near perfect. Hell I write and publish books in English! The next generation has started using new idioms I do not fully grok. What the hell is “based”?

Basically feels impossible for to ever fully catch up. Language moves too fast and your cultural background will never be same as the natives.

Edit: One super interesting aspect is that to speak fluent native English you have to do it wrong. Californians, for example, don’t use the plural contraction. You have to say “there’s many options” instead of “there are many options”. Otherwise you sound like a weirdo.

Re: Show HN: Learn any language with an AI tutor at your own pace

#18

Post by Mkengine »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #5

I have a feeling that soon we will stop learning new languages to communicate with others because real-time AI translation will be so good, and we'll learn languages in a vacuum for intellectual amusement only, barely getting past the A2 level due to the lack of true human stimulation in the activity. This tool is certainly a step in that direction, and it strikes me as a great loss to humanity because we are losing…

Sometimes I ask myself if WALLE is not that unrealistic of an dystopy, as we can already see that people are worse at remembering numbers in contrast to the time before smartphones, that save this information for you. Right now you can let ChatGPT do your homework without knowing anything about the subject. Where does this stop? Are we steering for a future where machines are doing everything for us and we will become dumber and dumber?
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