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For those wondering if ChatGPT can be used to teach you a language, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
ChatGPT is the chatbot that has been taking the internet by storm. Since its release back in 2022, AI has become the word of the day – even more so since GPT-4 was released earlier in 2023. Following on from this, it seems like a veritable wave of AI has been unveiled, ranging from Microsoft’s copilot, to Midjourney, to Dall-e. Even with so many options on offer people are finding new ways to expand their capacity with plugins and questions like can ChatGPT write my CV, or even can ChatGPT do PhotoShop? Now, people are wondering if the large language model can teach a language?
Let’s get into it.
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Can you use ChatGPT to learn a language?
In short, yes, ChatGPT can be used to help you learn a language. However, we would not really recommend making this your primary resource for learning that language. Let’s break that down a bit.
Benefits to using ChatGPT to learn a language:
Conversation practice
One of the most obvious benefits to using ChatGPT to learn a language is the quick-time responses the chatbot can provide you with. These can come in a variety of lengths depending on the prompts given, thus allowing you to practice a range of language skills. In addition, the chatbot can discuss many varying topics due to the large data set it was trained on. This can help you to gain a wide ranging vocabulary and conversation understanding.
Language accuracy resources
If requested, the chatbot can point out any language errors you may have made including grammar and point you towards the correct answers. Due to the recall capability of the chatbot this does not even have to disrupt the flow of conversation. However, there is the slight caveat that the chatbot is not 100% accurate in generating responses all of the time, so we recommend checking and specific language accuracy points to a secondary resource to double-check.
Multiple language options
ChatGPT is a chatbot that supports of over fifty languages at the time of writing. This can be extraordinarily helpful for people learning low-resource languages that they would otherwise have difficulty finding teachers and learning materials for.
Limitations to using ChatGPT to learn a language:
Motivation
The first is that unlike with a real teacher, learning a language from ChatGPT would have to be almost entirely self-driven. While you could ask ChatGPT for a learning structure that it would recommend, you would then have to enforce that learning framework upon yourself.
Audio
Furthermore, learning a language from ChatGPT alone would be very text based as ChatGPT does not support audio without the use of plugins. The good news here is that OpenAI have released a programme called Whisper which allows for the translation and transcription of audio. This is a seriously helpful tool, but again is relegated to extremely helpful learning assistant, rather than a teacher replacement.
Current events
Another aspect to consider, is that ChatGPT has been trained on a specific dataset that only reaches to 2021. If you wish to discuss current events as part of your language learning your would have to turn to plugins or a different teacher.
Final word
At the end of the day, ChatGPT is an extraordinary resource for learning, and we look forward to seeing the many ways it adds to and streamlines the educational environment. However, we do not recommend using ChatGPT as your sole resource when trying to learn a new language. Instead we would suggest incorporating it into your learning framework and using it’s many capabilities to enhance your learning in addition to other resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
We know that many people have questions they want answers to, so we’ve done our best here to answer some of your most pressing queries.
Can you use ChatGPT in Spanish?
Yes, ChatGPT supports Spanish along with many other language options.
Does ChatGPT only work in English?
No! At the time of writing more than fifty languages are supported by ChatGPT.
