The Secret Power of Immersion in Language Learning

By Jason (@newcomer_language_immersion)

Have you ever found yourself stuck with your language learning, like you hit a wall and cannot progress further? It might be time to try a different method – immersion.

Why Should I Try Immersion for Language Learning?

I was sitting on the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) subway playing Duolingo. While Duolingo is fantastic for habit forming, vocabulary, and grammar growth, I felt that it lacked interesting conversation and meaningful content. After all, I was learning Italian to actually speak it, not to match words on an app! At the same time, my Pokemon streak had taken over. I found myself exploring and battling in Pokemon whilst answering and translating in Duolingo. I figured a language curriculum could fit within the scope of an RPG, if designed correctly. What’s even more, is that NPCs in an RPG could be opportunities to practice your second language! Undoubtedly, I wasn’t the first to think of such a fusion.

From then, it was clear that I had to find a better tool for learning a language in a more practical way. If only I could find a way to immerse myself and talk to others in Italian. Something to accompany what I was learning on Duolingo and actually put it into practice.

The Language Plateau

Years passed, and I was slogging away at my 9-5. Still playing Duolingo occasionally but not progressing much. I was reminded of this idea and realized there were still no solutions for what I had envisioned. Being a developer by trade, I figured I’d give it a shot. I started developing prototypes focusing on battles won through answering translations correctly. Eventually, I managed to integrate beginner conversations and a more fleshed out world, and finally, I added language tasks that can be completed in addition to writing and speaking. The tool was evolving into something that could help not only myself, but also others on their language learning journey. I drew heavily from the idea of “task-based language learning”. This is where you have a goal like “Order a coffee” and you must use your target language to complete it. There are many of these tasks within the world of Newcomer!

From Newcomer's Steam page.

What is Newcomer and how can I use it?

We all want to practice speaking in a target language, but unfortunately the struggle is all too real. Finding people and resources is more and more difficult depending on the language you are learning. The more popular ones have a wide speaker base, but if you’re learning a language that is not as well known, you might end up struggling for years finding a language partner. For some of us on-site immersion is not even an option we can think about – while some immersion practices are available freely, most people cannot afford to fly and live in another country or attend language classes. That is where Newcomer comes into play. Most apps focus on teaching vocab and grammar structures, but Newcomer focuses on meaningful content and communication. The context of a “videogame” and “realistic characters” makes conversations more interesting.

Why Should I use this?

In Newcomer, you can choose your native language and target language. So a Spanish native can learn English, and vice versa. The supported languages are English, Spanish, French, and Italian. There’s about 8 hours of content for beginners, and 16 hours of content for intermediate learners. This is one of the first apps that allows you to speak or write in your target language and make an impact on the world around you. Newcomer’s early access version is scheduled to be released on Steam at the end of September or early October 2023. If you’re a language learner and have some feedback on it, I’d be absolutely thrilled to hear it! Here’s a 3 minute demo of what your experience would look like in Newcomer. - Jason