Why Language Learning App Innovation Has Peaked

Yep, totally agree with you. I have done the circuit of apps and paper based and basically i think a self made leitner box is much better than anki or memrise. I like pimsleur as an intro to a language, but after that its best to head to italki for the future. There are no shortcuts.

I think the most important thing, as you mention, is product differentiation. Having yet another “match the picture with the word but with a better interface” does not “disrupt” any language learning feature. However, if you come up with a whole new category of product, or create something that the market has not seen, then I think that is something of value.

With the advent of AI-based technology, speech recognition, and bots, I disagree that language learning has “peaked”. Perhaps you can argue that we’re at a local maximum, but to say that in 10 or 20 years time the best we’ll have are the language learning apps on the market today is almost certainly untrue. Thoughts?

I don’t think that we can rely fully on such online software, tools and apps for any translation, as they are also machines but when we don’t have any other option beside them after the “Human Translators” to believe so its becomes our need to trust on these machines.

Hello,
We are one of those new application at Loqacious, but we believe in our originality, we are not just an app to learn english or french, we want to create a link between people, to share moment and discover a new culture around a drink, a meal or an art exposition in Paris.

What I mean is our app, Loqacious, uses app technology to encourage actual conversations... Loqacious doesn’t aim to provide learning as such, but geolocates Parisian English and French speakers so they can meet face-to-face and practice together - a bit like a dating app, but for languages !

Language learning is really very complex, it’s one of the reasons I love it so much. We deal with four separate, yet linked skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking which are in turn linked to thousands of separate, yet linked facts, grammar rules, vocabulary words, pronunciation rules, etc.

Good observations with regard to most courses. But am I just imagining things or are you pointedly ignoring Rosetta Stone? I have language courses other than RS in about 10 languages and many of the courses claim to be revolutionary. NONE of them are. Except Rosetta Stone. But if you will allow me, I would like to tell you what is wrong with Rosetta Stone (and it is NOT all bad, not at all). What RS needs very badly is a grammar and vocab supplement and also many additional levels. You can learn a language the same way a child does, without grammar lessons (theoretically), as RS postulates, but there are 2 problems: 1-We are not children, and 2-No language course can expose you to a a spoken language long enough to provide all the clues you need to deduce the rules. As for innovation, I don’t think there has been much innovation in the last 15 years. A LOT more can be done.

Thanks.

I 100% agree with you re: Rosetta Stone. For all the bad press it gets and issues people have with it, it still stands as one of the only uniquely innovative products with its own method on the market even after all these years.

Hi Donovan,
I completely agree with you that there has not been a lot of innovation in the digital language learning products. However, there are always some fresh companies who are completely different from the rest. We at Linguician want to change the medium by which people learn. We use music and lyrics instead of conventional material.

Is this flashcards set to pop music?

Sorry to be late to the party, but since SuperCoco was mentioned (thanks, Ulrike!), I thought I’d share my perspective. I’m definitely one of those developers who thinks they’ve created the “latest and greatest”.

I couldn’t disagree more with the premise that innovation has peaked. Perhaps what you’re seeing is that--at any point in time--the vast majority of commercial products are derivative. To make matters worse, the most innovative products don’t necessarily have the best marketing, so you’re less likely to hear about them! As a prominent blogger, your fatigue is totally understandable, but on the other hand, you do the community a great service by finding and writing about the gems.

As someone who loves language learning, I built SuperCoco because I wanted a way to learn that was both story-based and oral.

Story-based both because it’s more fun AND it’s a far better learning strategy than learning out-of-context. I’ve written in detail.

Oral because the way to learn to speak is by speaking--not typing, tapping, reading or watching.

Oh, and also I wanted to be able to practice while I’m doing other things. Hands-free, eyes-free.

I totally get that those premises may not sound revolutionary. It’s not AI, a chatbot, or a brain implant. But I do believe we’re well on our way to creating the most efficient, effortless way to learn a second language. Not bad that you can carry it around in your pocket, eh?

I partially agree with you. Technology does make us worse at some skills but I believe it also makes us way better at others. I think it’s too soon to tell whether the general impact will be positive or negative. Sure, people do become worse at basic skills but it also gives us the opportunity to develop more advanced skills like coding and work on what we really care about.

As for language learning apps. I think the main problem is that they often put immediate gratification before actual learning. Duolingo is fun but is it really the best way to learn a language? All I can say is that I hear very few people tell me they reached an intermediate or advanced level with it.

There are two aspects in which apps could be truly useful IMO:

-Pronunciation: they could identify pronunciation mistakes and indicate the best way to correct them, offer feedback
-They could also create a personalised study plan

But these are two things a human can already do, and learning with someone is always more enjoyable than learning with a computer so you definitely have a point.

Hey Donovan, I couldn’t agree more with this post! I was just reading reviews on Goodreads yesterday for a book called The Shallows. I haven’t read the book myself, but apparently it’s about how the internet has made us stupid. It’s a shame because there is SO much information accessible out there nowadays, and it seems like people usually don’t take advantage of it.

Anyway, I don’t really use most of the language learning apps out there. I use Anki to study flashcards (this isn’t my only form of study, but I find it helps when combined with other things) and have an iTalki account (that I need to use), but other than that, I don’t really use any. I like reading in the target language and talking to native speakers. If an app doesn’t allow me to do that, especially the latter, I’m not interested. :P

Hi Donovan: We sort of agree with you that language learning app innovation has peaked. The big transition from learning with textbooks, tapes/Cd’s, DVD’s to learning with online, downloadable, or apps is behind us. For many of us who used to learn languages before the internet, these new tools continue to be extremely useful for practice, and you probably agree. Now, any innovations are quite incremental.
Still, there continue to be interesting approaches. For example, we recently came across SuperCoco (currently only Spanish) which focuses on hearing and repeating (with translation). It’s all in the context of a conversation/story, it’s handsfree and you can listen/say it while doing other things. Or LanguageZen (only Spanish for now and not an app yet) that uses data mining for the most used words and expressions, applies spaced recall and transcribes your spoken translation, lets you correct it and gives alternate translations. It also lets you learn the lyrics of certain Spanish songs this way.
We would love extend our own Gamesforlanguage approach of practicing a language with a story and games to become truly interactive with voice recognition, alternative answers to questions (similar to Duolingo Chatbots, but by speaking), with spoken corrections etc.. However, technology has to progress still a little more for that to be practical.
It seems to us that the next big innovation will include programs and apps where most or all of the interaction is verbal rather than reading, clicking or writing. That will get closer to the way we learn in an immersive environment, though listening, speaking, being corrected when making mistakes – currently only possible with live or online conversation partners/teachers/tutors.

I probably agree more with you on this topic than I do on your other topics (though there I already average about 90%). This gives me hope for my own Beta system/product that I hope to trot out in mid-2016. I aim for it to be truly innovative, not just superficially so, and it will not include large child-toy buttons! Teaser: it involves more right-brain activity.

I think AI Teaching Assistants could start bridging the gap between passive flashcard and “wait for my reminder” approaches. I’m 65, and frankly, I need to repeat a small vocabulary set a lot to memorize it. The time needed goes down as I gain more vocabulary and “thinkability” in the language, but it’s much more than the 20-somethings I’ve been in class with (usually 3-4 times as much). Do you know any AI chat bots or other apps that would do both drill and some interesting ‘conversation’, with a small focus on repetition of word sets, etc?