ChatGPT for language learning

On the YouTube channel Français avec Pierre, I watched a video on things you can do with ChatGPT for supporting language learning, both as a learner and as an instructor. Pierre demonstrates several ideas.

Chat with ChatGPT in your target language. You can have ChatGPT use a specified language, language level (e.g. A2), and level of formality.

Have ChatGPT make corrections to text you write.

Generate text with ChatGPT. For instance, you can request topic, language level, grammar structures, vocabulary, tone, etc. You can use to practice specific points to work on. You can also do such as, “Write a 200-word text about the Vikings at level C1 demonstrating use of phrasal verbs.” You can then use a text-to-speech tool such as Narakeet to convert to audio to use for listening comprehension. Teachers can also use the text generation capabilities to generate exercises, quizzes, and tests. For instance, try, “Generate a ten question multiple choice quiz on direct and indirect objects for common verbs.” (In the video Pierre advises that ChatGPT can make mistakes so some of these features may be more for instructors than students…)

Here’s the video (in intermediate French): ChatGPT pour apprendre le français, l'anglais ou n'importe quelle langue 🦾 (c'est fou!!! 😵) - YouTube

What else can you think of to do with ChatGPT for supporting language learning?

LingQ staff, what comes to mind for you for possible future innovations of your platform and other tools in the language learning space?

What LingQ has done for the internet’s content is amazing. What do you think are the next frontiers for AI supporting language learning?

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I tell ChatGPT to write the same text at A2, B1, and B2 levels, etc to assess how the same ideas are expressed differently in terms of difficulty. I also tell it to write dialogues between 2 persons about possible future events.
I have some issues with the usage of prepositions in German so I tell it to write a story by using these prepositions to develop a natural feeling for them.
In sum, it is a good tool for generating a variety of texts so it can easily replace easy readers; learners can create stories based on their own interests. The language it uses is very compelling and is never a slog which I find an interesting aspect.

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I’ve had a few Korean conversations with ChatGPT and was impressed with how well it tailored its responses to my purposes. I made it clear from the very beginning that I was learning Korean. Therefore, at one point when I asked for a pancake recipe, it didn’t provide me with all sorts of useless measurements for a certain number of pancakes. Instead, it gave me a couple of paragraphs with all sorts of cooking terminology that I would never encounter in my normal reading. Highly recommend using it for learning day to day life vocab.

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https://www.lingq.com/ru/community/forum/open-forum/chatgpt-tips

Was going to point him to one of those threads =).

gmeyer,
Here’s a long thread where we discussed this a couple of weeks ago. Doesn’t answer all your questions but has pretty good coverage…

https://www.lingq.com/en/community/forum/open-forum/chatgpt-tips

If you check Steve Kaufmann’s twitter you can see he’s been experimenting a bit himself to see what works and what doesn’t work.

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Personally, I prefer shorter threads on this forum. Navigating long threads is usually not worth the hassle. At least for me, a new thread each day about ChatGPT and language learning would be fun.

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They’re all going to be long if we post long stories about how we’re using it. For this matter, one post with some established posting rules would be better. For example, to post language leraning prompts for ChatGPT without following stories and words of appreciation.

I appreciate both: specific prompts and stories of how people use the new technology. Most people learn best by hearing other people’s stories not by looking at lists.

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Very interesting. I missed that forum a couple weeks ago.

I wonder what the language learning software space will do with this. I ask about LingQ because LingQ is such a synthesis of different language acquisition methods (unlike the many one-trick ponies of language learning software).

First feature I guess I’d suggest is dumb question detection–either to let dummies like me be advised that a question may already be answered in certain forum threads and/or so that S.I. and other really, really advanced and smart people have a filter and don’t have to see the content of dumb people like me.

Asad, I did something similar where I had ChatGPT generate the “same” text using a posh British English dialect vs rural American English.

Good luck with avoiding the hassle then. I’d prefer navigating one long thread instead of navigating the whole Forum of long threads.

Why would I need luck? I just don’t read them. Especially when the long thread contains all sorts of suggestions that aren’t relevant to the language that I’m studying. Easier to pick and choose with a number of shorter threads.

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How are you gonna keep them short?

Perhaps if people were very specific when creating threads? Maybe I’ll start one later called “Korean conversations with ChatGPT in different honorific levels.” I doubt German learners will post in it.

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I wish to be more accommodating with the program. However, it has much more to do with developing its presumed intelligence to meet my expectations.

So yesterday, I put down something like “帮倒忙吗?” in Chinese as the program asked me if I needed help, and the program did not get it. I asked it to give me a definition, and it showed up amazingly as follows.

“帮倒忙” (bāng dào máng) is a phrase in Chinese that roughly translates to “to make things worse instead of better”. It is used to describe when someone tries to help but ends up causing more trouble or making the situation worse. The phrase suggests that the intended help was not effective and may have had unintended negative consequences.

I asked the same questions again, yet I didn’t see an appropriate response. So the program provided me with an accurate definition for my question words but failed to reply with an adequate answer? After several other attempts, it answered me that it was willing to 帮倒忙 as a way to sabotage my work. I was so nonplussed about not knowing whether to cry or laugh, as what it says in Chinese 哭笑不得。

There’s a misspelled word like 保畘, which I believe is an issue with the character’s encoding.

I also tried with some pun-intended phrases and sentences with memes, but the program would only generate answers that did not correspond to the questions. Then I asked it to give me ten sentences about cooking using cooking verbs and electrical equipment in Korean. The program accomplished the task splendidly, and I asked it to change the sentences to questions with a slightly feminine feel form of 니 ending, and it had no problem accomplishing the task. We may need more advanced learners or natives to test other grammatical usages to confirm the program’s validity in providing a rate of accuracy that we can tolerate.

There were problems with sentence creation with given words in Chinese. It applied the terms with incorrect meanings and randomly placed them in the sentences sometimes.

相反地
相反的

A similar sentence in English explains the problem of such misplaced and incorrect usages of terms in Chinese.

Original sentence.
Conversely, the generator is switched to no-load operation during acceleration, thus reducing the load on the engine.

The generator opposite is switched to no-load operation during acceleration, thus reducing the load on the engine.

The word “opposite” in Chinese, followed by 的 has the strict usage of an adjective but not others.

In summary, the program requires some interventions from the users to properly use the software to its maximum advantage. Let’s remember a tool remains an auxiliary role in helping you accomplish your goals in learning. As for beginners, I recommend being selective in your approach. The quality and quantity of time, resources, and methods significantly impact your learning more than the advanced learner.

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I have found ChatGPT to be useful for translating colloquialisms back and forth between French and English. I am studying audiobooks by Balzac (a longtime goal has been to read La Comédie humaine in the original). Many expressions from the early 19th century make no sense when translated literally. Feeding them into ChatGPT (with context) not only provides meaning, but also a mini-history lesson. General Foy, anyone?

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I’ll tell you what I’m doing… I download the subtitles of some stuff I’m listening to… then I get them on ChatGTP and I ask it to make a vocabulary for me , then I study the vocabulary and I keep listening to the videos I get to understand more and more , and it’s a targeted learning experience at least for me

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Analso is a language learning app that uses ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, to help users learn Japanese. The app provides an interactive chatbot interface that allows users to practice their Japanese language skills by having conversations with the AI-powered tutor.

The ChatGPT tutor in Analso is designed to simulate natural conversation in Japanese, providing users with a personalized and engaging learning experience. The tutor can understand and respond to a wide range of language inputs, from simple phrases to complex sentences, and can provide feedback and corrections to help users improve their grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

It’s wild how close it is to talking with a native speaker of Japanese.

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