Encore - Language Learning

Fantastic Idea, Execution Needs Work

They only have an option to learn English right now but I can definitely see myself using this when they add more languages in the future! It was only added to the App Store about a month ago as I’m writing this, so it’s still pretty bare bones but it’s got a lot of potential. My biggest issue with it right now is that when you select your native language, it doesn’t translate the app into that language. I selected my native language as French and a beginner English learner just to poke around, and everything was in English. This would probably be a fun challenge for more advanced English learners but I’m not sure how a beginner English learner would be able to navigate the app or even participate in it. Changing the language of your phone helps somewhat, but I definitely think this is a huge flaw. On top of that, the definitions they give for words are definitions, not translations. If I’m learning English and I come across the word Dream for the first time, “it’s like a movie that plays in your head when you’re sleeping” is not going to help much. A much more direct approach would be to state the direct translation (in this case Rêve) and then add the definitions (in the user’s native language). I also wish there was an option to translate the entire song and not just the select parts they give you. If I’m an advanced learner for example and I see a word I don’t recognize, I’d like an easy way to click on it and find out what it means. At the moment, this app feels like it’s built for kids learning English as their first language. With the way it is now, I’m not sure how great it would be for learning a second language. But I definitely see potential and I look forward to their future updates!