Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#41

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Oct 14, 2024, 10:20 PM UTC

rioppondalis wrote: post #33

leke wrote: post #32

Simple!?!? Ha! This is a very polished to be called simple although simple is subjective. I've been developing language learning tools as a hobby during my programming journey, so it's great fun to try new stuff. Problems... I opened this in Hews2 Chrome browser and it got stuck on the "say the word" part. You might want to add a skip button there. The sound effect audio is about twice the volume of the narrator audi…

Thank you so much for your feedback! I’ll work on incorporating your suggestion about skipping the "Say the word" game. I've already moved it to the last step of the demo since many users tend to deny microphone permissions. As for the voices and translations, yes, both are AI-generated. AI has played a significant role in these areas. Thanks again! Please, let me know if you had any other feedback. I'm listing comme…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#42

Post by namaria » Mon, Oct 14, 2024, 10:38 PM UTC

2024user wrote: post #34

Does "simple" now mean polished and corporate looking? The fake AI podcast really lowers my trust in you though.

The fake podcast is a bright red flag. I wouldn't touch anything related to something like that. Not only because it's a fake podcast, but the content is lies. This supposed buzz, 'everyone is commenting', the 'conversational' tone. You want to generate text and audio with AI? Disclose it and do it whatever, you're responsible for what you publish. But even if you had manually written and recorded this 'podcast', the content is evidently just marketing lies. That is unacceptable really. After that is establish it doesn't really matter if the factual claims about methodology are correct. I can't trust it after so many layers of misdirection.

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#43

Post by namaria » Mon, Oct 14, 2024, 10:45 PM UTC

Voicze doesn't really read as 'voice easy'. I thought it was supposed to be some slavic sound before hearing the fake podcast thing. (Btw massive red flag the podcast, the fake claims of buzz etc).

When you select gendered languages as 'native language' the text says son, not child.

The Italian text is borderline nonsense. It technically translates to the correct English but it isn't even close to how an Italian person would say that.

The Portuguese version also gets derailed from one sentence to the other.

In both cases, first sentence makes sense, the second jumps to plural and you're left wondering who it's referring to. Again, technically makes sense, but it's not idiomatic and sorta confusing for native speakers.

After reading languages I dominate botched like that I would lose all trust in this app's ability to teach anyone a new language.

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#44

Post by rioppondalis » Tue, Oct 15, 2024, 3:27 PM UTC

namaria wrote: post #43

Voicze doesn't really read as 'voice easy'. I thought it was supposed to be some slavic sound before hearing the fake podcast thing. (Btw massive red flag the podcast, the fake claims of buzz etc). When you select gendered languages as 'native language' the text says son, not child. The Italian text is borderline nonsense. It technically translates to the correct English but it isn't even close to how an Italian pers…

Thank you for your comment. I actually appreciate receiving critical feedback like this.

Regarding the podcast, could you clarify why you see it as a red flag? In the same place where the podcast is available, it clearly states "Listen to our AI-generated podcast," and there's a note underneath specifying that the content is AI-generated. I believe anyone who listens would easily understand this, as there's nothing hidden.

There was absolutely no intent to mislead. Our goal was to enhance the landing page by offering content for those who prefer to listen to a summary of what the product offers.

As for the translations, I really appreciate your feedback. Could you please share which word specifically caused issues? We’ve tested several languages, and while the translations generally work well, they are AI-generated, so mistakes can happen. Knowing which part was off will help us improve it.

Regarding the use of Voiczy for language learning, we don’t promise that it can teach a language on its own. In fact, if you check our FAQ, we clearly state that no single tool or app can fully help someone master a language. Even professional tutors rely on a variety of materials and methods.

So what does Voiczy do? It helps children specifically with vocabulary building, immersing them in the target language so they can hear and gradually understand through consistent repetition.

I understand your concern about potential translation inaccuracies, especially in the Italian version, as you mentioned. I’ll review this issue to see what went wrong with the AI translator.

Thanks again for taking the time, and writing sharing your opinion.

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#45

Post by rioppondalis » Tue, Oct 15, 2024, 4:05 PM UTC

nancy_le wrote: post #40

I love your idea. But I'm also wondering how you see Voiczy fitting into a child's overall educational journey? Are there any plans to integrate with schools or educational institutions?

Hey! Thanks for your comment!

I’d love to hear more details on how you envision it should be structured to better align with the overall educational journey. The reason I’m asking is that different countries have varying educational systems and curricula, and I’m not sure where you’re from. I’d really appreciate your thoughts on how it could be organized or adjusted to better suit kids at school.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#46

Post by namaria » Tue, Oct 15, 2024, 5:07 PM UTC

rioppondalis wrote: post #44

namaria wrote: post #43

Voicze doesn't really read as 'voice easy'. I thought it was supposed to be some slavic sound before hearing the fake podcast thing. (Btw massive red flag the podcast, the fake claims of buzz etc). When you select gendered languages as 'native language' the text says son, not child. The Italian text is borderline nonsense. It technically translates to the correct English but it isn't even close to how an Italian pers…

Thank you for your comment. I actually appreciate receiving critical feedback like this. Regarding the podcast, could you clarify why you see it as a red flag? In the same place where the podcast is available, it clearly states "Listen to our AI-generated podcast," and there's a note underneath specifying that the content is AI-generated. I believe anyone who listens would easily understand this, as there's nothing h…

> Regarding the podcast, could you clarify why you see it as a red flag?

The false claims at the start. Why should I trust any content after that? There is no buzz, this is a virtually unknown product. Making fake factual claims so easily and so early on your marketing efforts makes me discount everything else you say as probably fake as well.

> As for the translations, I really appreciate your feedback. Could you please share which word specifically caused issues?

No. Hire humans to revise the AI slop you're peddling, I won't do it for free.

Together the sloppy translation and the fast and loose attitude to facts in marketing make me unwilling to trust you to educate anyone.

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#47

Post by rioppondalis » Wed, Oct 16, 2024, 11:12 AM UTC

namaria wrote: post #46

rioppondalis wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for your comment. I actually appreciate receiving critical feedback like this. Regarding the podcast, could you clarify why you see it as a red flag? In the same place where the podcast is available, it clearly states "Listen to our AI-generated podcast," and there's a note underneath specifying that the content is AI-generated. I believe anyone who listens would easily understand this, as there's nothing h…

> Regarding the podcast, could you clarify why you see it as a red flag? The false claims at the start. Why should I trust any content after that? There is no buzz, this is a virtually unknown product. Making fake factual claims so easily and so early on your marketing efforts makes me discount everything else you say as probably fake as well. > As for the translations, I really appreciate your feedback. Could you pl…

How much would you cost to review them for us?