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Kannada

Kannada Baruthe Mini Review: A Very Basic Word List App

Kannada Baruthe

Rating 2.2
★★
★
★★★
Price:

Free

Summary

Kannada Baruthe contains 13 thematic word and phrase lists, going from colors and fruits to talking to a maid or personal driver. It has some very specific and useful phrases, such as “I have a bag,” “give me a paper bag,” and “sorry, I do not have change.” Finding trustworthy and relevant word lists can be challenging, so we can see how Kannada Baruthe would be a useful app. Yet you’ll have to exit the app to drill the vocabulary. There are no quizzes, games, or flash card systems built into it. What’s more, while each word comes with an audio recording, they aren’t written in the Kannada script. We feel that there are better options out there for learning Kannada, such as Kannada Kalike (reviewed here), KannadaGottilla (reviewed here), Learn Kannada from bhasha.io (reviewed here), or even uTalk (reviewed here). Alternatively, if you do decide to use Kannada Baruthe, we recommend adding the word lists to Anki or a similar flashcard app so you can drill and memorize them.

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101 Script Writing App Mini Review: Good for Indian Languages

101 Script Writing App

Rating 2.2
★★
★
★★★
Price:

Freemium; one-off payment of $1.30 for full access

Summary

Kannada 101, Tamil 101, Telugu 101, Marathi 101, Bengali 101: these are just some of the apps from developer Uma Loganathan. You can also download Arabic 101, Vietnamese 101, and even English 101 and German 101. If you’re learning these languages, though, we’d take a look at Write Me instead. We feel that the Write Me app is generally a more well-designed option, especially since it also tests you on your ability to match the right character to an audio recording. However, the Write Me app barely has any Indian languages, and that’s where the 101 series shines. You’ll be able to trace the characters; switch between easy, normal, and freestyle modes; and receive a score out of 100. The stroke order and direction are clearly explained. Whenever you make a mistake, you receive instant feedback: the music stops and the “ink” stops flowing. This allows you to self-correct immediately, rather than practicing it wrong. The series has its flaws: like with most apps, you won’t learn how to join up characters. However, we think it’s a useful tool for beginners.

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iLanguages Mini-Review: Almost Identical to Learn 101

ilanguages

Rating 1.3
★
★
★★★★
Price:

Free

Summary

Learn 101 is almost identical to iLanguages; they have the same native speaker audio files, languages, and mostly identical ‘lesson’ layouts. The main differences are that Learn 101 seems to have added some grammar explanations and reformatted a bit, while iLanguages seems to have added some extra phrases. Since every one of the languages’ “lessons” has the exact same format, including the grammar section, you will learn how to say ‘and’, ‘but’, and ‘or’, in 107 languages, but you will not learn where these types of words fit within a specific language’s sentence structure. Every page is just a list of words with a translation (and sometimes an IPA symbol transliteration). This site could be used if you want to hear native speakers pronounce basic words in very rare languages, or if you want to look up the IPA symbols of a rare language’s alphabet — otherwise, you’re probably better off making flashcards yourself on Anki or trying one of the hundreds of other resources we recommend on this site.

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Learn101 Mini-Review: A Re-Formatted Version of iLanguages

learn101

Rating 1.3
★
★
★★★★
Price:

Free

Summary

Learn 101 is almost identical to iLanguages, but neither of them seem to be very helpful; they have the same native speaker audio files, languages, and mostly identical ‘lesson’ layouts. The main differences are that Learn 101 seems to have added some grammar explanations and reformatted a bit, while iLanguages seems to have added some extra phrases. Since every one of the languages’ “lessons” has the same format, including the grammar section, you will learn how to say ‘and’, ‘but’, and ‘or’, in 107 languages, but you will not learn where these types of words fit within a specific language’s sentence structure. Although there are examples of various grammatical structures, the explanations for these structures are also identical for every language, which, practically speaking, doesn’t seem plausible. This site could be useful if you want to hear native speakers pronounce basic words in less-common languages, or if you want to look up the IPA symbols of a less-common language’s alphabet — otherwise, you’re probably better off making flashcards yourself on Anki, or trying one of the hundreds of other resources we recommend on this site.

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iTranslate Mini-Review: 5 Apps To Support Communication

itranslate

Rating 4.0
★★★★★
Price:

$ 0.00

Summary

iTranslate is a dictionary, thesaurus, and phrasebook. At first glance, it seems similar to Google Translate’s free app, but a couple of extra paid features make a big difference. Like with Google Translate, you can take pictures of text in your surroundings, such as signs or newspapers, and receive instant translations into your native language. It differs in that you can also take pictures of objects in your surroundings and receive translations into your target language (although it’s not clear what the boundaries are on this function). Two people who don’t speak the same language can use iTranslate Converse as a mediator between them, translating each sentence to create a transcript on their phone (with a slight delay). You can also use the iTranslate Keyboard in any texting app to receive instant translations. To get the most out of your subscription, iTranslate includes five different apps that can support language learning and communication through text, voice, and games. Although iTranslate translates into over 100 languages, check the website to verify which languages are supported in the other apps. iTranslate seems suitable for traveling and communication in different languages. If all you need is a dictionary to support your studies, try WordReference and Linguee, or Pleco for Chinese and SpanishDict for Spanish.

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Vocly Mini-Review: Expand Your Vocabulary in Less Common Languages

Vocly

Rating 3.0
★★★★★
Price:

$ 11.99

Summary

Vocly is a vocabulary learning app that uses a couple of different techniques to reinforce new words (although it’s unclear whether or not the app uses an SRS system). Each word comes with audio pronunciation by native speakers and a toggle to either reveal or hide the romanization of the word. As with most of Simya Solution’s apps, Vocly is best for languages with fewer available resources. Instead of using English translations in the flashcard activities, the app will prompt you to associate the new word with a small picture. On one hand, this will help you make fewer translations into your native language. On the other hand, the pictures can be ambiguous and you may forget what they symbolize. The flashcard activities include matching activities, identifying new words that fit under a specific category, matching the sound of a word to an image, and asking you to spell the word in the language’s script. Unfortunately, the free version only allows 7 minutes of learning per day, which can feel rushed. Ling is a more comprehensive option for learning multiple facets of a language, but if your goal is to expand your vocabulary, Vocly has over 1600 words. The paid version is quite expensive for what it offers compared to other resources, but for less common languages it is a fun and interactive option.

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Simply Learn Mini-Review: Spaced Repetition Phrases For Travelers

Simply Learn

Rating 3.0
★★★★★
Price:

$ 9.99

Summary

In Simply Learn, by Simya Solutions, you can search for and review over 1000 phrases in over 30 categories. It takes the typical phrasebook app one step further by allowing you to add your favorite phrases to SRS flashcards. Given that its developers also developed Ling, an additional, more comprehensive resource that supports language learning, it seems that Simply Learn is a supplementary app for individuals who need to learn basic phrases for traveling abroad.  The creators don’t seem to have intended for people to use this app to learn a language in its entirety, but rather to support them in memorizing basic phrases for travel. As with Simya Solutions’ other apps, Simply Learn is most helpful for less commonly learned languages, such as Hokkien and Khmer. Beginners can access the basic cards for free, but the advanced traveler will have to make a one-time purchase to access all the content. If what you truly want is to have a set of phrases under your belt, Simply Learn’s SRS flashcards and native-speaker audio can support you. However, if you are studying a less commonly learned language and want to understand the basic sentence patterns and writing system, check out Ling.

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Learn Kannada (Bhasha.io) Mini Review: An All-in-One Package

Learn Kannada (Bhasha.io)

Rating 4.2
★★★★
★
★
Price:

$ 0.00

Summary

This app sets out to provide an all-in-one Kannada-learning solution, from flash cards through to one-to-one classes. You can use Learn Kannada to access short, practical video classes. You’re then drilled on the material through spaced repetition, while gamification helps to keep you motivated. You can access a fair number of the classes for free. If you’re willing to pay, however, you then get access to the full set of video lessons as well as one-to-one classes with Kannada tutors. You’ll also get homework assignments. It seems like many students consider the classes to be the best part of the Learn Kannada app. However, our initial impression is that the free version of the app still offers plenty of value for beginner learners. Unfortunately, though, it’s not available in all regions.

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Learn Kannada in 10 Days Mini Review: A Series of Word Lists

Learn Kannada in 10 Days

Rating 2.9
★★
★
★★★
Price:

$ 0.00

Summary

Learn Kannada in 10 Days, predictably, does not deliver on its promise. You won’t have learned the Kannada language in just 10 days of using this app. But what’s disappointing, given the app’s name, is that you won’t even have learned to say “thank you,” “I have” or “eleven.” There’s actually more than one way to use this app. If you use it as it’s designed, you’ll study a different word list each day. There’s no spaced repetition or flash card system, however. You’re just presented with a word list and audio recordings. You can also test your recall by taking a quiz, but given that you’ll be tested on the entire course, this probably isn’t a good idea until you’ve completed it. Alternatively, you can do the “flexi courses”, which will present you with longer word lists, or study “grammar” – by which the app means the Kannada script. In its defence, however, there were some positive things about Learn Kannada in 10 Days. You can practice writing the Kannada script with your finger and you can also study through four different languages. And, in what is probably our favorite feature, the Entertainment section links out to Kannada-language songs and videos online.

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