I have been learning French throughout my entire high school career, and yet my French is not to the level that I want it to be. Traditional learning models like Duolingo and textbooks are great and all, but I wanted feedback on my studying and have a partner that would adapt to my speech and writing habits so that I could learn properly, in real time. I also wanted flexibility with my learning, since being at university is my main priority. Hence, a proper teacher (who, mind you, would be expensive) was not an option that I wanted to explore. I concluded that AI could be my intelligent learning partner. Relying on AI would drive me away from memorization through trial and error on apps like Duolingo and tackle my conversations dynamically, first-hand!
Experimenting with AI
When I decided to continue my French journey, I realized that the go-to vocabulary lists and grammar drills were only partially helpful. Interaction was what I needed, so I explored various options with AI. I experimented with various generative tools to help me think, speak, write, and understand the French language.
I decided to use the OpenAI that everyone had access to and knew about, ChatGPT. First, I wanted to improve my text-to-text conversation, including grammar, conjugation, and vocabulary training. For example, a prompt I plugged into the system was:
- “Pretend you are a Parisian café owner, and I’m a French tourist. Let’s chat in French. I am trying to learn French, so please correct any spelling, conjugation, grammar, and vocabulary errors I make. My French is supposed to be at a B2 level, so adapt the conversation to this level but make it challenging so that I still learn.”
The AI generation helped me converse in text form, adapting to my level and challenging me with vocabulary etc… This learning approach was very beneficial as ChatGPT was like a teacher, whom I could ask questions to. Furthermore, the AI memorized my mistakes and made me realize any common errors I made, creating flashcards for me with these words. Learning by doing was, therefore, my approach here, and it helped me build on my French fluency strategically. The AI could adapt to my learning habits and help me extend my knowledge in a foreign language effectively. This interactive knowledge tool gave me a personalized pathway to learning French.
Other applications of GenAI that I used for my French enhancement were:
- Text-to-speech and speech-to-text: which I used to find pronunciation of words, spelling of words, and to transcribe conversations to look back upon.
- Text-to-image: This was used by me to visualize certain words that were difficult to remember, such as the word ‘toad’, which was ‘crapaud’ in French (I know, very niche and probably rarely used in conversation…)
- Speech-to-speech: simulating French conversations, though it felt slightly robotic.
Reflecting on my experience shows me that AI is a great way to learn a language. It does not replace the learner but extends their ability, which was the case for me. The learning by doing approach was something that was missing for me with textbooks and Duolingo. Furthermore, these traditional methods did not adapt fully to my speech, writing, and listening habits, whilst Generative AI like ChatGPT sculpted my learning around my mistakes and my needs. Duolingo, for example, has rigid units that you must complete to advance, e.g., Going to the Opera. This was also something that bothered me, as some units seemed useless to me at the moment. Generative AI allowed me to personalize topics I was interested in, which would be most beneficial for me if I conversed in French with someone!
That being said, AI is not the best replacement for linguistic learning yet. Teachers, though pricey, are still better in my opinion (at least at the moment). Taking a more critical perspective of generative AI, the speech-to-speech was jagged and a bit robotic, which, to some getting used to. Furthermore, AI sometimes interpreted my speech in the wrong way, which was frustrating as I had to correct it through prompts. I believe that AI will be a great teacher, especially with the introduction of various other technologies such as AR or VR! Virtual learning will reshape the teaching landscape. This has its pros and cons, as it would allow easy and free education to a lot of people. But job losses will be imminent, too.
Overall, my experience was great. Will it replace traditional learning methods? I don’t think so as of yet, but the competitive advantage that AI has is its adaptability, and once AI is fully fleshed out, replacement will occur. What do you think? Have you experienced GenAI language learning techniques?
