From Israel, browser add-on turns any web page into a language lesson

A new Google Chrome add-on called Lingua.ly turns any website into an opportunity for language students to boost their skills.

Although English is the unofficial language of the web, around 45 percent of all websites are written in other languages, providing a rich resource of ‘real-world’ texts for students learning a foreign language. A new Google Chrome add-on called Lingua.ly is harnessing this by turning any website into an opportunity for those students to boost their skills.

Once installed, users of the browser can begin reading sites in their chosen language – or pick one from Lingua.ly’s recommended list – and double-click any words they don’t know the meaning of. A pop-up then asks if they want to bookmark the word in their Lingua.ly account. When they do, they can view the word’s meaning and listen to an audio pronunciation in their chosen language. After the user has collected multiple words to learn, the add-on detects their skill level. This is used in its practice function, where users can review the words they’ve added to see if they remember them, alongside others that match the level they’re at. The add-on also recommends new articles that suit their proficiency. The video below explains more about the add-on:

Lingua.ly learns the level of each user as they travel around the web learning words in order to personalize the experience and help students progress. Are there other ways existing texts can be used for learning opportunities?

Spotted by Murray Orange, written by Springwise