Two new apps have been launched this year to help foreign residents understand and master the Luxembourgish language.
LuxVoice is a free app that supports everyday communication by translating from any language into Luxembourgish and allows users to copy text, listen to or share audio.
Co-creator of the app Ankit Goel, who came to live in Luxembourg in 2015, and again with his family in 2021, said Google Translate currently does not have an audio function for Luxembourgish, making it harder for language learners to be sure their pronunciation is correct.
© Photo credit: Ankit Goel
His app also incorporates a speech to text feature to convert Luxembourgish into written text.
Everyday communication in Luxembourgish
“This is to make everyday communication easy and accessible. It allows translation from any language into Luxembourgish, and you can convert spoken Luxembourgish into text and text into speech,” said Goel.
Plans are also in place to convert Luxembourgish into other languages with the hope to launch this functionality later this year. However, you can currently share audio output on WhatsApp if you want to send a message in Luxembourgish.
We have test cases from native speakers, and what the translation should be, and we use our set of rules and AI-based translation
Ankit Goel
Goel admitted that the current translation element of the app uses Microsoft Azure Translator which is not completely reliable, but said his company is using a set of rules for the orthography of Luxembourgish, which when added later this month, will achieve greater translation accuracy.
“We have test cases from native speakers, and what the translation should be, and we use our set of rules and AI-based translation, but it can be improved more with further test cases,” he added.
Passing the Sproochentest
Goel has developed another app to help those wanting to learn Luxembourgish, but it has a price tag. Whilst you must pay an annual fee of €100 for his Sproochentest app, Goel said this is value-for-money given that online and in person lessons cost significantly more.
Designed to help users pass the INLL (Institut national des langues Luxembourg) Sproochentest, the app has core speaking modules including picture descriptions and topic question and answers often covered in the test.
There are also listening comprehensions and speaking practise, together with an exam-day walk through guide, and live Luxembourgish radio streaming.
© Photo credit: Ankit Goel
“The focus is on practical and exam-orientated learning. It is built for people who want to take the test for citizenship.”
You can also check how well you are pronouncing Luxembourgish, and there are fun study materials. When users read Luxembourgish text or listen to audio content in the app, they can also view an English translation. French and Portuguese translations will be added soon.
Goel explained that the information came from collaboration with existing Luxembourgish teachers, and materials available on public platforms such as INLL’s LLO.lu platform.
“That is a great website to learn the language in a formal way, but our app focuses on the Sproochentest, it’s a crash course you can do in three months.”
“Listen, mimic, speak”
Goel’s wife has been preparing for the Sproochentest, which is compulsory for third-country nationals who want to become naturalised Luxembourgish citizens.
Their son, who attends a local school, was helping her with the pronunciation. That gave Goel the idea for the app to help her “listen, mimic, and speak”.
© Photo credit: Ankit Goel
The number of people sitting the Sproochentest has grown each year, with a pass rate of approximately 70%.
Goel highlights that cross-border workers take the exam, and that Portuguese speakers are the biggest segment of the population who take the test according to his research.
“You can listen whilst travelling to work, at night, whenever you have free time.”
Both apps can be downloaded from Google Play Store for Android, with iOS versions available shortly. The apps will be upgraded at the end of March and currently have about 100 users.
Other Luxembourgish language apps and platforms
You can learn Luxembourgish for free on LLO.lu, which includes online exercises, tests, and activities. You can test your current level and follow a personalised path. The platform has virtual conversation tables, games, general knowledge on history, cinema and sport, and a section on Luxembourgish culture – handy for the citizenship test. You can view the site in English, French, and German.
Inll.lu gives a breakdown of the Sproochentest exam format here, together with sample listening comprehensions and oral expression tests.
You can also access all audio files for the Schwätzt dir Lëtzebuergesch books from A1 to B2 at this website, and download an app to listen to them on your phone.
The Luxembourg Online Dictionary (LOD) is the place to get an accurate translation of vocabulary (from German, French, English, Portuguese, and Dutch).
LOD has developed orthotrainer.lu, where anyone can practise not only Luxembourgish spelling with exercises, but also view spelling rules. It has over 400 exercises that playfully introduce spelling.
The government-run spellchecker.lu allows you to check spelling in text in Luxembourgish. If you want to check verb conjugation and different verb tenses, you can do so on verben.lu, which has been put together with the help of ZLS (Centre for Luxembourgish Language).
Saz.lu provides a dictionary and uses several sites including LOD to source word translations. It also has a spellcheck tool with which you can upload up to 2,500 words to check.
Lux-ASR is an automatic speech recorder with which you can turn spoken Luxembourgish content into text automatically.
Sproochmaschin STT lets you upload audio files and get accurate transcriptions in Luxembourgish.
