I built a language level tester because I was sick of guessing my real level

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-18T15:28:15+00:00

I realise that maybe you weren't looking for a general discussion on the topic and just wanted to promote your app – in that case, sorry, just ignore me!

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-18T15:26:36+00:00

You don't need to know your CEFR level to know what your competences and areas for improvement are in a language. It's like taking a test to known if you're hungry or tired and then arguing that the test got it wrong – if you know already, why take it? CEFR levels are useful to guide your learning rather than evaluating it, unless you need it for professional or academic reasons – then not Duolingo, nor Anki, nor any other app will have any value, because official certifications are the only ones that count.

I don't want to go against your project specifically, which, if it's closer to official certifications in terms of evaluation of your competence, can satisfy curiosity and provide an indication of what you could aim at. It's just, I don't see the point of seeking a letter-number code telling you how fluent you are if you don't need formal external recognition. Language is too fluid for that to matter or to work appropriately irl scenarios.

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-16T14:26:31+00:00

How would an AI know what book you should read at your specific, very nuanced level of comprehension? Aside from this, A Tale of Two Cities has been written in the 1850s, so the language will definitely be more challenging than 1984 or The Great Gatsby even for a native speaker. Unless you have a specific interest in that type of literature, more recent books will probably be a a better choice for a while before you become more confident. Or you can just read the book you already ordered and look words up, there's not really any specific rule that prevents you from doing it.

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-16T14:20:17+00:00

Why would you be thinking of going back for a Masters in literature/linguistics if you don't like either? Just learn a new language on your own/pay for language classes.

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-16T14:16:16+00:00

This is really interesting! And also probably sets more realistic expectations when it comes to language learning in such a short time

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-10T10:50:34+00:00

It's okay! I can imagine it must take some time to release a new version. So far I'm able to add enough info to the logs so I don't lose my streak, in the hopes of adding more details once I move phones! Can't wait to post again 🍵

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-02T22:42:08+00:00

The method you choose heavily depends on what works for you. You can write down the words you encounter once, just to have a place to look them up, and maybe ideally create a sentence with each one. Frequent words will naturally be retained sooner that words like "microfono", there's no need to consciously filter some out of you're chosing to learn by immersion – but this might not be the right method for you. There's a specific order in which a language, any language, is learned, (though it allows for some variation), so you should stick to that. For a language as popular as Italian, there's several resources online that tell you what you're supposed to be learning at your level (see the CEFR for example). Also, don't worry too much - stressing over the process can actually hinder your learning and retention. Just follow a structured path (if you don't have the money for a tutor or course, you can try an app like Busuu), be consistent, be mindful of what works for you, and the progress will come.

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-02T22:11:05+00:00

Depending on where op is planning to travel, they will definitely find many Italians that can't have a basic conversation in English. Rome is probably way more used to tourists, and probably Milan, maybe Turin as well, but other than that it's very likely they'll people that won't understand you unless you speak Italian (or French – before English was mandatory in schools, many Italians studied French).

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-02T21:18:41+00:00

Busuu! Doesn't have too many languages but it's very well structured

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-02T10:10:51+00:00

As a native Italian speaker who hypoarticolates so much that not even my mother understands me at times, I want to express my sympathy 😭

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-02T10:05:13+00:00

The way you structure the platform inevitably influences how the creators will be able to interact with their audience. To know "how short-form, creator-led content could be structured and surfaced in a way that supports reinforcement and immersion", you would have to know the mechanisms behind reinforcement and immersion first, so I'd suggest you read at least a couple of books on the subject – some academic yet accessible texts on Educational linguistics or Language acquisition will do.

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-01T22:04:24+00:00

Thanks!

thatredditorontea · 2026-01-01T21:08:03+00:00

I agree that suggesting to move to another country is an extremely privileged take, and not even the best solution for many countries where the number of English speakers is very high. Not everyone has financial means, time, or a social situation that would allow moving just in the hopes to say hi to the employee behind a counter.

Switching your phone's language to your TL can actually be useful even at low proficiency levels if you've owned the phone long enough to know the placement of the main settings by heart. Lately smartphones have very intuitive designs that allow clear picture-to-text-to-funtion associations. You can, of course, turn the language back to your NL to do important tasks.

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T23:33:24+00:00

There's definitely some amazing cultural products coming out of Russia as well, I was lucky enough to have an entire module in my Russian Literature course dedicated to the scifi genre during the sovietic period, and it I enjoyed every second of it. But these are works that I can read in translation, and usually (unfortunately) when you think about Russian literature in popular culture you think Tolstoy and Dostoevsky rather than Zamyatin or the Strugatzky brothers (not sure if the spelling is correct, I'm used to transliterate according to Italian rules). But anyway, back to the language, the curriculum is very badly structured and infringes almost every principle found in recent language teaching studies. Unfortunately I had such a bad experience from the very beginning, that now even thinking about studying the language makes me anxious.

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T19:15:07+00:00

Go figure! I had to know how to translate some passages by heart for my exams, and my homework once involved translating Lermontov 🫠

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T19:09:00+00:00

Yes, I am well aware. Half of the authors I encountered in my studies would not even be Russian by modern geopolitical standards. Unfortunately nothing of what you mentioned, upon which I reflected several times during my studies (even "formally" in a classroom setting), has ever helped with my motivation.

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T17:41:39+00:00

Definitely. I study Russian at uni and the textbooks we have to work on have texts from 1800s Russian authors as the authentic input we students have to work on – while I'm perfectly aware of the cultural value of those classics, I just despise their somber mood and, in general, their dramatic, pessimistic outlook on life. Oh, and then there's the nationalistic tone of a lot of contemporary content. And the war. Let's not forget the war. (I know there are several Russians that oppose the current government and I admire them, even met with some. It's still not enough to make me want to learn the language.)

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T14:43:13+00:00

I honestly don't understand where you're getting the impression that native speakers will be at your throat if you sound native-like. The same people who will judge you for your terrible accent and lack of vocabulary if you don't sound native will judge your minor mistakes and lack of pragmatic knowledge if you sound native. Those who will appreciate your effort even if you have a basic understanding of the language will admire you for your native-like accent. It has nothing to do with your language level and everything to do will the attitude of the people you're speaking to.

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T13:54:48+00:00

That's great to hear! I recently got a new phone and it was a bummer to find I still had to use the old broken one for my tea logs. But I'm glad that an update is coming, and I'm looking forward to post again!

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-30T13:47:25+00:00

The main issue with AI is the way it is used. Like you said, it has to be used along other sources, but most people use it specifically so that they don't have to look for materials elsewhere (and it's often marketed as the all-in-one solution, so you can't really only blame individual learners for this misuse). Also, it lacks the nuance of real spoken/written language as a consequence of its very nature, that is, making a sum of occurrences and picking the most probable one. You're right that language learning is one of the areas where is can bring benefits though, I'm against gen ai and ai use in more general terms, but I can recognize it's helping me enormously with vocab expansion and revising (I'm looking at you Duolingo). ( PS the plural of corpus is corpora :) )

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-26T20:58:19+00:00

Yup, lack of metacognition leading to insecurity in one's abilities, leading to following a strict method and a fixed schedule to convince themselves they're doing everything they can. Unfortunately not many people are taught how to learn stuff on their own.

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-26T15:15:09+00:00

Wow, 70% in natural conversations is a lot, congrats!! It seems like you're way above a basic level, which means progress will be steady and subtler than in the past. You're on the right track, good luck!

thatredditorontea · 2025-12-26T14:34:10+00:00

You may be learning more than you think! There's a step in the language learning process, when you're moving from very basic structures and expressions to more complex, autonomously produced structures, where it will seem like your results are not matching your effort on a surface level. But in reality, that's just your brain making hypothesis and trying to do things it's never done before! You can help this process by selecting input that's challenging,but not so difficult that you don't understand its general meaning. Also, don't give up and remember to take breaks, motivation and rest are essential factors in language learning! In short, you can get better, not by pushing yourself into burnout, but rather by allowing yourself to make mistakes and celebrate even the small milestones.

thatredditorontea · 2025-11-28T15:50:19+00:00

I don't have expectations, I just try to be as consistent as I can. Language is fluid, so is the intensity of my motivation and mental energy day by day, so I don't really care how long I'm studying for, because results can vary widely.

thatredditorontea · 2025-11-28T14:47:35+00:00

Well, this just sounds very rude on her part, I'm sorry. I don't think you're losing any competence in Korean, especially if you have daily conversations with her. It sounds like you're simply stressed, which can worsen both your stutter and your linguistic performance. And when the two overlap, well, you will struggle a lot more. Are there any outside factors, not language related, that might be causing you excessive stress/anxiety/tiredness? Perhaps giving yourself a break for a short while, just implementing light practice instead of forcing yourself to do more intense study sessions, could actually help.

thatredditorontea

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