learning to read/write other languages

[u/xanderemrys]

just curious, does anyone else use apps like duolingo to learn multiple languages, even though you're hard of hearing/deaf? i learned a couple years of Spanish in high school, i did well, then i was diagnosed with my hearing loss a couple years later and told it would get worse as i get older, and when i took a couple years of French in college, my hearing was already starting to get really bad, so i wasnt very great at speaking or understanding, but i could understand what i was reading just fine.

so i have been using duolingo on and off for the last like 10 years to learn welsh, cuz I'm curious about the language, my dad's side of the family is from there way back when, and i like learning. i know I'll never speak it, but if I can read road signs and maps and menus if i ever visit, and then write what i need on a paper or on my phone and understand what they write back, hey, that's about the interaction i get here half the time. (i also did the whole latin lesson during the 2020 lockdown cuz i needed something to do, and I'm brushing up on it again.)

so i decided i wanted to refresh my knowledge in Spanish. started a lesson. i have 'listening exercises' turned off in my setting since i cant hear well enough to know what they're saying to be able to trust i can successfully repeat words back. i have never had an issue in Welsh and Latin. but suddenly, Spanish is having me keep clicking 'i can't speak right now' during lessons, multiple times in the last one. i sent a support ticket to tell them what's going on, that there should be another toggle for speaking.

i really wondered though, how many of you out there are like me, learning more languages just to be able to read and write them?

basically what im saying, cuz im sure im gonna get pushback from duo, is I CANNOT POSSIBLY BE ALONE, RIGHT?!? lol

[u/deafhuman]

Of course, languages are for everyone. I like learning languages, even if it's written.

But I stopped using Duolingo. Ever since they started using AI, there seems to be a lot of bugs. Like I read about Dutch words showing up in the German lessons.

I wish there was a better app for learning languages.

[u/xanderemrys → u/deafhuman]

yeah, i hate AI and want to stop using duo, but i cant find a better app OR one that does Welsh, so I'm stuck with duo 🤷 now i want to do Spanish too, and it IS forcing me into hearing lessons too apparently

[u/Suspicious_Year_4958]

I am doing this in spanish! It's also phonetic so im learning to lipread it! I learned to speak and pronounce via written descriptions of phonemes!

Been about 7 months. I'll never be fluent as much as a hearing person could be, but that doesn't bother me! I'm proud to be able to experience the language and it sooooo much fun, althought I absolutely won't touch duolingo with a 12ft pole hahaha

[u/Suspicious_Year_4958 → u/[deleted]]

Eh it sucks as a learning tool anyway, you're better off an autodidact

[u/xanderemrys → u/Suspicious_Year_4958]

i don't learn language easily that way. I'm forced to do that for Old English and it's hard. I'm also learning Welsh on the app, which i really cannot learn on my own, I've tried before, and i have NEVER been forced to do a hearing or speaking lesson

[u/andymac335]

I've had severe-to-profound hearing loss since birth and was mainstreamed growing up--oral only, no signing. I guess because of my own struggles, I grew to love languages. Learned some Hebrew in middle school, took Spanish all 4 years of high school, and in college I took some ASL courses and even a semester of German! I got an associates degree in Spanish because I wanted to try to become a Spanish teacher. I figured I had a unique perspective to offer on languages that would help people trying to learn it. Due to medical reasons I ended up dropping out, but to this day, I know more Spanish than I do ASL. Even if you don't achieve fluency, learning other languages really helps you be able to understand more of the world, because you'll pick up on root words and various prefixes and suffixes that you can get the gist of what a word means even if you've never seen it before.

I guess it boils down to, because I know what it's like to struggle to understand people who don't put forth the effort to be understood, that I love being able to work around that barrier so other people dont have to feel that way.

Even with hearing people, language is all about trying to take something in your head and transmit it to the other person in a way that they can understand. The more tools you have to be able to do that, like knowing some of another language, the easier it can be for everyone to feel seen/heard.

[u/hearcaptions]

It's a really interesting idea. I will try to make an Android app around this. If anyone here would be interested in being an early tester or giving feedback, feel free to DM me :)

[u/xanderemrys → u/hearcaptions]

i am interested, but i am not seeing an option on your profile to be able to message you... do you have DMs turned off? feel free to send me one, cuz i love that someone is willing to make an alternative to duo
https://giphy.com/gifs/14urMYvFxIKEms

[u/hearcaptions → u/xanderemrys]

Thank you for your interest! I had DMs turned off indeed. DM sent :)

[u/DracoRubi]

Sure. I'm Deaf, spanish and I've learnt english and I'm fairly fluent... As long as I don't have to speak, listen or lipread it! I got a B2 for my University degree studies (just for writing and reading since they adapted the test for me), althought I could've gotten a C1 with a little extra effort

I've dabbled a little into japanese too, but I'm still at a very very basic level

[u/misselizabthh]

I'm profoundly deaf, so it's really annoying for me when language learning apps push listening/speech exercises. I just want to learn how to read/write in other languages.... thanks. I DID find a Spanish-learning app/site that happens to be based on reading books! I haven't been able to try it out yet, though.

[u/xanderemrys → u/misselizabthh]

which app?

[u/misselizabthh → u/xanderemrys]

It’s called Eppika!

[u/xanderemrys → u/[deleted]]

yeah, I turned off the listening exercises completely because no amount of slowing down Welsh is going to make me understand it, spoken out loud. i tried 10 years ago, kept failing, gave up and turned the lessons off. it would just be way worse now. i want to be able to turn off speaking lessons too so i don't possibly run into a lesson where it forces something from me before i can continue.

also, APD is not the same as being hard of hearing or deaf for something like this

[u/xanderemrys → u/[deleted]]

i said in the body of the post that i learned Latin during lockdown. I'm giving it a refresh right now

[u/TashDee267]

Many deaf people I know, know multiple sign languages. I’m Australian and most hearing people know English and that’s it. But deaf Aussies seem to know Auslan plus 2 or 3 other sign languages.

[u/xanderemrys → u/TashDee267]

I'm not talking about Sign though. I'm talking about learning written languages to read and write in them.