When I moved to Finland in 2024 for my AI Master’s at JYU, I did what everyone does. I installed Duolingo. Then I took university courses, tried learning Finnish songs, and even watched Finnish TV-series.
But apart from saying “Kiitos” I still couldn’t hold a basic conversation or navigate supermarket without a translator.
The problem wasn’t the resources, it was the friction. Every time I tried to read, I spent more time switching to a dictionary than actually reading. My interest would just gone.
Solving the “Dictionary Fatigue”
I realized that reading felt easier when the translation was just one tap away (like in Duolingo) which didn’t break my flow. I wanted that same ease, but for real content - articles, stories, or texts I actually liked reading.
So, I built Finnish Learner (Not the perfect name but does the job for now).
The concept is simple:
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Paste the Finnish text you want to read.
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Tap/Hover any word you don’t know.
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Get the translation instantly. No dictionary needed.
Habit > Optimization
Me being me, I’m always looking for the “most efficient” way to do things. But also I know, the “most efficient” way would be useless if you cannot stick into it.
If an app is hard to use, I won’t use it. I made this a mobile-friendly web app so I could use it anywhere. It keeps your current reading saved on the device so you can continue right from where you left off.
As for the architecture, I wanted to keep it simple and avoid the extra complexities of a web server. Because of this, the core learning features don’t need a backend to process information. Everything is done right inside your browser. (one feature uses NextJS lamda function but easily converted to frontend process)
What’s next?
I’m currently working on making the app “smarter” by capturing session summaries. Imagine the app identifying which words you struggle with most and then using AI to generate new reading material specifically focused on those weak areas.
It’s a work in progress, and I’d love for you to try it out.
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Try the App: finnish-learner.vercel.app
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See the Code: GitHub Repo
“Kiitos” for reading! Any suggestions or PRs are more than welcome.