Learn a New Language by Casually Browsing the Internet

Learning a new language is hard, man. Many of us have tried all the apps in the world, worked day in and day out, and yet weren’t able to keep up a conversation with someone in this new language. Most of the language learning methods in these apps are the same and involve a conscious effort to memorize new words, phrases, and grammatical structures. However, Toucan , the browser extension, is taking a different approach, and maybe that’s what you’ll finally enjoy.

How Toucan works

With Toucan installed for Chrome , Edge or Safari , the first time you visit a website or click on an article, you’ll notice something odd: some of the words on the page will change and be translated into your chosen language. If you’re trying to learn Portuguese, you might see a sentence like esta , but one or two palavras will be translated.

Hover over the translated word and a pop-up will show you what it means in English. (“Esta” is “this”, “palavras” is “words.”) This popup gives you additional cool controls, like a speaker icon that you can click on to hear how the word is pronounced, a mini quiz to see if you can write a word, and a save button to highlight the word for later.

It starts with one word at a time, but as you learn, Toucan ups the ante by adding more words in blocks or “lexical pieces”. This makes sense since not all languages ​​have the same grammar structure. By making large groups of words, you will more naturally learn word order, verb conjugation, and the general grammar of your chosen language.

The extension also offers “shortcuts” which are more like the traditional language learning process. They highlight key words and phrases that you will use in common situations, such as greetings or going out to eat. Interestingly, shortcuts only work on Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, and Google.

Toucan’s approach is based on science

According to the company , the extension is based on a theory called [second] language acquisition , which in this context can be summarized as follows: you learn languages ​​best when you immerse yourself in a language in a relaxed manner, rather than trying to hammer it into your head over and over again new words and grammar. If you’ve ever felt like your high school Spanish lessons got you nowhere on your path to language learning, Toucan might argue that it’s because the system isn’t effective for most people.

Of course, Toucan also doesn’t take the Duolingo approach of haunting you with reminders to get started. He wants you to put as little effort into learning a new language as possible. When you use the Internet as usual, you are sure to visit websites and read articles that really interest you. If Toucan translates some of these words into your target language, you will be more inclined to choose them. up, since you are already engaged in the text, and not reading boring lesson materials. You’re doing the same thing you always do (wasting time on the Internet) while dipping your dedos into a new language.