Depressing examples of language learning apps using incorrect English
Since 2023’s ChatGPT revolution, every bedroom developer now thinks they have the ability to build an app for people who want to learn or practise a language. It’s relatively easy to re-skin ChatGPT and create a language practice chatbot. (I list over 20 such apps here.)
However, I am doubtful that many of these app developers have any background in language teaching. They are handing over all that expertise to the AI. Perhaps that can be overlooked if they make an app that is genuinely useful for people. But, one thing that I see surprisingly regularly is that many of these apps contain incorrect English in their interfaces.
This fills me with dread. If an app developer doesn’t even have the motivation or skill to use correct English in their app’s interface, how can we be confident that the app is teaching correct language? Especially when we know we can’t really on AI for accurate feedback either.
Guys, just pay someone to proofread your English. Please. It’s the very least you can do when you are building something which claims to teach people how to use English.
These aren’t just small typos buried deep in a help article, they are mistakes in the primary experience of the app, often in the onboarding process.
I regularly experiment with these types of apps so I will use this article to collect examples of any offenders that I come across. Because I love correcting English, I will correct the English in the screenshots. I have examples from Elsa, Praktika, Lingolette, Leya and Lantalk.
Elsa
Leya
Praktika
This is an app that, according to Sensor Tower, is making $1million revenue per month. See my more in-depth review of Praktika here.
Or, even better, ‘Put the desired outcomes in order of priority’.
Lingolette
Lantalk
I’ll be adding more examples to this article, as I find them.
Also: Watch a video I made about how AI feedback in language learning apps is not always reliable.
