The Developer's Dialect: Mastering Norwegian Through Tech-Enabled Learning

Challenge: Upon relocating from Germany to Norway, I faced the intricate task of mastering Norwegian prepositions. Traditional language learning platforms like Duolingo and Babbel, while useful, often prioritize subscription models over personalized learning experiences. This led me to seek an alternative solution that caters to my specific needs without the financial commitment.

Approach: My approach was to leverage familiar technologies from my professional life at Lyse, avoiding the complexities of managing infrastructure. Through a collaborative effort with ChatGPT, I developed a NodeJS application. This application intelligently extracts text snippets from Norwegian news articles, pinpointing the use of prepositions. It then transforms these snippets into a quiz format, challenging users to select the appropriate preposition. To enhance the learning experience, the app provides instant feedback, allowing users to learn from their mistakes and gradually improve. Deployed on Vercel, the platform eliminates the hassle of dealing with backend infrastructure, offering a seamless deployment experience.

Enhancements:

• Progress Tracking: Integrating Google sign-in functionality, the app offers personalized progress tracking. It analyses user performance, emphasizing sentences containing prepositions that pose a challenge to the user, thus tailoring the learning experience.
• Bilingual Support: Recognizing the diversity of its user base, the app incorporates Google Translate, providing English translations of Norwegian sentences. This feature aids in comprehension, especially for users who are still gaining proficiency in Norwegian.
• Data Management: To store user data and progress, a PostgreSQL database hosted on Vercel is utilized. This ensures secure and efficient data storage, allowing for a more customized and responsive user experience.