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language

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:02 am
by Wesley
First off, I'd like to say I quite enjoy Duolingo.com and the learning techniques they provide.

Now then.... when it comes to literal translation -vs- conversational translation, there can be some variety. I'm okay with that, but the website insists that their vague translation of an idiom is the only translation of that idiom.

And this morning I was getting irked when it told me that "My day of birth..." and,"My birthday..." don't have the same meaning.

More later, I gotta go to work.

Re: language

Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 8:57 pm
by sizz
which language(s) are you learning zot?

i've just started using it in an attempt to brush up (read: practically learn from scratch because I only did it at school for a year at the grand old age of 13ish) my German. Unfortunately the app stopped working on my awful phone so I can only do it on my laptop at home. my initial reason for getting it was to give me something to do on my hellish commute.

i am impressed with the web version though, much nicer than the app! I haven't come across any translation issues yet, though sometimes the speaking questions can be a bit dodgy.

Re: language

Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 9:06 pm
by Beany
Sizz!

Re: language

Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 9:26 pm
by sizz
Cho! man I really haven't come on here in ages, and my New Years resolution was literally "to be better at keeping in touch with people" D: D:

Re: language

Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 11:02 am
by Wesley
I'm brushing up on my French. If I didn't already know a good amount of French, then I would not know and most likely not care about the inconsistencies. Since I do, I am bothered that what they are teaching is not completely wrong, but also not completely right.

Re: language

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 11:33 pm
by Beany
I meant to post on this a while back but was busy with exams and forgot. I used to use Duolingo to try not to forget too much of the languages I know. I got annoyed with it and deleted it because it didn't like me using a different word that meant the same thing or missing out unnecessary words. Also, when am I ever going to need to know how to say "I am a penguin" in three languages?

I don't actually know what penguin is in French...

I can see how Duolingo can be useful in learning a new language. I started learning German a while ago too (I finished studying for the term and wanted to learn something), and it made trying to learn a language I knew only a few words of that much easier. But although it makes you do a test to find out what level to start at if you already know a language, it can't be perfect. I found that it only really catered for if your writing, reading, listening and speaking were all at the same level, which mine definitely weren't. The reading and writing tasks were too easy and I wasn't learning anything but I had to do it for the one speaking or listening question it occasionally put in.

Re: language

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:59 am
by Moe
I would check in with it every once in awhile because it never had an English > Japanese option (though it had a Japanese > English option)

Downloaded it the other day, and it had English to Japanese.

I was really surprised, most of the other languages seemed to start off with nouns and verbs, where with Japanese it started with numbers and colors

Re: language

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:20 am
by Wesley
Yeah, they added Japanese just this year! :) Also, Cho, the lessons they give are "random" in the amount of spoken -vs- written. I've had lessons that were 80% spoken, and I've also had lessons that were 0% spoken.

On the smart phone, they have these AI characters with whom you can have a conversation. It is pretty cool! I don't have a smart phone, but my sister showed it to me. Having a natural organic conversation in a foreign language is an excellent way to brush up your skills!

Re: language

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 5:30 pm
by Beany
Ooooh, really? Is that new? I'll take another look at it then.