Author Archives: Sarah Desmedt

5 things we improved about Linguineo Pro that you need to know

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Summer is coming to an end. *Cries in Belgian weather* While we’ve enjoyed the occasional sunny moments, we have been working *read: the whole year* behind the scenes to improve Linguineo Pro. We know, summer isn’t done yet, but we sure are with the update of Linguineo Pro. We have done a major update to Linguineo Pro, incorporating all the most important previous user feedback. Yay! We literally can’t wait to share it with you! So, keep on reading to find out what we improved. Let’s start immediately with the big changes!

1. New conversation feature

The new conversation feature allows users to get started with having conversations right away. They can start conversations on any topic, select one of the pre-created scenarios or personalize conversations using specific filtering options. Moreover, with the ‘pick a topic yourself’ option, users can choose a theme or enter a custom one for the conversation.

When using the filter, users can choose between ‘open directed’, ‘not yet done’, ‘specific to my profession’ or ‘for everyone’. Through configuring conversations, users can now set answer types, activate automatic translation, and utilize glosses. They can even filter which conversations should be shown in the list.

2. New vocabulary feature

Having an easy to consult and interactive word list was after the conversation feature one of the most requested features for a long time. Ask, and you shall receive – that’s exactly what is happening here.

What can you expect from the new vocabulary feature? A multifunctional vocabulary list. Basically, the Linguineo Pro app provides a vocabulary list where you can favorite words, listen to them, filter for unfamiliar words or those under a certain label, all for your selected profession.

You can then do exercises directly related to that vocabulary list, all tailored to the vocabulary required for your profile. Also, with the filter, you can select which words you want to be visible. For example, when clicking on ‘start exercise’ an exercise is started with the words from the filter, and the same goes for ‘start puzzle’. 

Besides the big changes, we also made numerous small change that will also make a difference: 

3. More professional authentication

Yes, this is dedicated to all those who tend to forget their passwords – myself included, I must confess. Initially changing your password wasn’t an easy option with Linguineo Pro. However, after many “how can I change my password?”, we realized the need for improvement. Voilà, you can now change your password on the application, whenever, wherever you want. Now you can reset your password anytime you need to!

4. Content review

Did we read and test all conversations? yes! Did we even make them better? Absolutely! In Linguineo Pro, we not only reviewed and improved the conversations but also added new graphic elements for conversations. And if that was not enough yet, we even added ‘open conversations’ for supported profiles like nurses, cleaners, … It is now possible to have open conversations. Ready to talk? 

5. Reworked the progress tab

This means more focus on competences and making results available on demand. So, after an exercise is completed, it will be shown in the learning path with the exact date of completion. Now, by clicking on it, the results will be displayed without restarting the exercise. So easy to track progress! Perfect for staying motivated, right?

And last, but not least, the app and conversations are now available in 6 additional languages. We have included Farsi, Pashto, Armenian, Afrikaans, Vietnamese, and Nepali. That was it, all the big and small changes!

All these changes were made possible thanks to feedback. We genuinely appreciate the feedback we have received about Linguineo Pro. We value feedback as it is crucial for enhancing our product.

If you are a Linguineo Pro user and would like to provide us with feedback, feel free to contact us at linguineopro@linguineo.com. If you are not yet a Linguineo Pro user and curious about the app, feel free to try Linguineo Pro right here.

Also, after receiving many demands about online documentation, we have made it available. Now, all documentation is accessible online, and we are very happy about it. 

A day in the life of a Natural Language Processing intern

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In July, we warmly welcomed a new person to Linguineo. *Drum roll* None other than Kobe, who completed a 5-week internship in Linguineo’s small but cozy team. Kobe is pursuing a master’s degree in Linguistics at the Catholic University of Louvain, focusing on Natural Language Processing. As the final week of his internship wraps up, we interviewed him to hear about his experience at Linguineo. 

Why did he want to intern with us? 

“I first learned about Linguineo from Serge Bibauw, my master’s paper supervisor. His research focuses on teaching French as a foreign language and the use of chatbots in language education. Given Linguineo’s unique role in this field, he has collaborated with them before to test how chatbots affect students’ language proficiency. It’s fascinating how such collaborations benefit both companies in refining their technology and researchers in advancing scientific understanding of education.”

Big shoutout to Serge Bibauw!

What did Kobe do at Linguineo? 

“As a language learning enthusiast myself, I’m deeply interested in the role of feedback in language education. Chatbots, like Linguineo’s Language Hero, open up new possibilities for giving students personalized feedback on their mistakes.”

  • Kobe evaluated feedback provided by Linguineo’s educational game Language Hero to suggest improvements for the system. 
  • He worked on designing prompts for generative AI models to optimize the responses.
  • He got to playtest a new release of Language Hero
  • He also created a taxonomy for grammar corrections, and he even successfully addressed two specific issues! 

French teachers, please close your eyes to the following sentence. *Slightly smiling face* One observation was that phrases like “Parles-vous de tes parents?” were not effectively corrected yet by the current generative system, possibly because vous/tu are nearly identical for such models. 

Additionally, sentences containing “est-ce que” with an error were consistently transformed into the inverted form. Together with Kobe, we found solutions to address these issues. If you can’t get enough of this topic make sure to read our post on the grammar correction system right here. 

What did we think about Kobe? 

Kobe was very thorough in his analyses, and he also had a very good attitude. We as Linguineo really benefited from his internship.

– Steffen

What was Kobe’s biggest challenge? 

Kobe’s biggest challenge during the internship, was working partially from home, where he finds it difficult to get into the working mood. Luckily, getting in the working mood at De Hoorn or in our office is easy peasy! Coffee, anyone?

What was his favorite moment? 

“My favorite part of the internship was pinpointing errors that had not yet been corrected by the feedback system and envisioning possible solutions for these problems.”

And that concludes Kobe’s great 5-week internship at Linguineo. We truly had a great time working with Kobe and his contributions were very valuable. The skills he acquired during his internship will definitely benefit his future career. We wish him the best of luck! 

Ps: If you are completely convinced by Kobe’s experience, come and join us for your internship!

OKAN pupils learn Dutch with voicebot POL  

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If you move here from another country, the best thing you can do is of course learn the language. Easier said than done? Not with POL, our personalized voicebot tailored to OKAN students. 

OKAN stands for ‘Onthaalklas voor anderstalige nieuwkomers’, or classes for non-native newcomers between ages 6 and 18 who have not yet mastered Dutch. The goal is to support them and make their learning experience more enjoyable. We partnered with D-Teach and KU Leuven’s Centrum voor Taal en Onderwijs to do that! Currently, we are in the testing phase of POL, and we would love to share you a little bit more about him. 

Meet POL

POL stands for Dutch Talking (Praten), Practicing (Oefenen) and Learning (Leren). His goal is to help OKAN students speak Dutch and to overcome speaking fear. Many non-native learners experience speaking fear due to a deep-rooted desire to communicate or write everything perfectly, which is also known as perfectionism and of course impossible when you are just starting. With the help of POL, students get access to valuable speaking opportunities in Dutch. And because he adapts to the language level of the students, they can practice in a safe environment. Isn’t that a dream come true? 

How does POL work?

POL really is our dreambot as he knows how to overcome difficulties in a fun way. How he gets it done? Well, to make it fun, we focused on engaging OKAN youth by considering the subjects they are interested in. And the icing on the cake: they can also upload pictures to engage the conversation with POL about their favorite topics. This way, they get the chance to practice their Dutch on topics they like. We believe that discussing topics they like makes practicing Dutch more enjoyable for them. That’s why POL proposes them different topics to talk about.

POL focuses on conversational speech and more specifically on recognizing the right sounds when building a sentence. He can explicitly point out and correct mistakes. POL provides hints, facts and tips. Don’t you just love that?! He really is a dreambo(a)t.  

And to make sure OKAN students like POL, we asked them what they would like their ideal voicebot to look like.   

POL, we’ve been thinking of you

Siri search for ‘Thinking of you’ by Katy Perry. Just kidding, back to business! So, you might ask yourself how POL became POL. Well, it’s been a long process and still is! 

We are thrilled by the level of engagement of everyone in this project. And in order for POL to become concrete, we have extensively brainstormed with teachers and students on what the ideal chatbot could look like. To get closer to the prototype we also visited different schools to ask students and teachers about POL. More about it here.

After all of this, we were ready to work out POL and test out a first prototype of him. Exciting!

POL, are you for real?

So, we recently introduced a prototype of POL to OKAN students in Mechelen for the first time. The students tested POL and provided us with valuable feedback. Their feedback was constructive and provided us with insights on how to enhance POL as a final product. Throughout the first ever testing, we saw smiles and laughter, which made us happy. Seeing students enjoy speaking Dutch is really what we go for. Curious about their feedback?

  • Overall students had a great experience when using the application and repeatedly stated that they found POL funny. 
  • They found the application an added value, as it allows them to practice speaking in particular, which is something they do not find in other applications. 
  • The students liked the fact that they can say anything to POL. As a result, they dared to say and express everything in Dutch without fear of being judged. POL represented a safe environment for these students to practice in.
  • They also gave us feedback on how we could make POL even more user-friendly. This showed that voice recordings, for example, are better stopped automatically rather than manually. 

As you can see, POL is increasingly going from an idea to something concrete. The next step?  Focusing on developing a new prototype to be ready by August to test it with learners in the earliest stage of literacy from OKAN classes. If you are an OKAN teacher with OKAN students in the earliest stage of literacy and interested in contributing to this project, please reach out to us. Also stay tuned for POL’s adventures and make sure to follow us on LinkedIn!

Building speaking confidence in a foreign language

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Man enters a local bakery. Due to speaking fear, he does not dare to speak in the foreign language. Therefore, he indicates what he wishes.

Learning a foreign language is challenging but rewarding. While learning, some of us may experience speaking anxiety. Overcoming this is not easy, but crucial to master a new language. In fact, according to scientific research from Defense Language Institute, it is one of the most important things to overcome to master a new language. Luis von Ahn, founder of our big brother Duolingo, says it in this video.

Overcoming speaking anxiety as a major challenge

Imagine yourself in a sunny village in the south of France, a remote but charming village. Everything is in French, no one speaks English. Fortunately, you have a good basic French knowledge. This immersion should in fact refine your French speaking skills.

On your first day in the morning, you decide to go look for a local bakery. You forgot to charge your phone and therefore have to ask locals for directions first. There are many people outside, but you don’t approach them. You don’t dare to ask for directions in French. The threshold to speak in French is too high. You decide to look for a bakery yourself.

After walking for a while, you come across a local bakery. Great! You would like some pastries, but again you can’t get over the threshold to carry out the conversation in French. With some pointing, you get rid of the uncomfortable situation. Although you supposedly know enough French, speaking it in real-life situations is very difficult for you. These situations highlight the importance of building up speaking confidence.

Task-based language teaching

To be better equipped to deal with situations like this and build up this necessary confidence, task-based language teaching (TBLT) has proven to be an effective method.

Tasked-based language teaching (TBLT) is a methodology where the focus is on learning skills rather than language knowledge. This by doing practical tasks in the language one is learning. Exactly what we are up against in our French village situation. The language knowledge is there, but in practice the language skills are lacking, after which the fear of speaking emerges.

One reference for this approach is the book ‘technology-mediated TBLT’ written by researchers Marta González-Lloret and Lourdes Ortega. It highlights even more benefits besides “doing it yourself”.

 A safe language learning environment for practice

Many people are too self-conscious when they have to speak a foreign language. Especially because they are afraid to make mistakes and therefore be judged by others. The threshold to speak that new language is then often too high. As in the case of the French village. Thankfully, that fear of speaking can be overcome. 

One of the ways to overcome speaking anxiety is by creating a safe environment for language learning. In a digital learning environment with chatbots and voicebots, there is no fear of being judged by another person and we can focus on actively practicing the language. Contextualised environments with computer-based game characters seem to provide an ideal context when teaching a language. This fits perfectly into the task-based language teaching method. That is exactly what we do at Linguineo. 

Digital learning environment with conversational AI to actively practise a foreign language in real-life situations. Scene: asking for directions in French.
Digital learning environment with conversational AI to actively practise a foreign language in real-life situations. Conversation for advanced learners with pronunciation feedback. Scene: Ordering at the bakery
Digital learning environment with conversational AI to actively practise a foreign language in real-life situations. Scene: asking for directions in French. Conversation for advanced learners with pronunciation feedback. Scene: Ordering at the bakery.

Our conversational AI enables language learning through games, apps and learning environments such as Language Hero and Linguineo Pro to practice speaking skills. Considering the time constraints teachers experience when supervising students in language classes, this can provide additional useful speaking opportunities. In this way, students or even employees can develop their speaking skills and accuracy with the support and feedback of our system.

Fear of speaking a foreign language is a difficult threshold to cross and yet it is essential for mastering a language. By identifying those problems and offering a solution, speaking anxiety will drastically reduce. 

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