TalkLikeTV

What is it?

TalkLikeTV is a language learning application I developed to address the limitations I’ve experienced with popular apps like Pimsleur, Babbel, and Duolingo. While these tools offer a solid foundation, I found they often fall short at the intermediate level, where progress tends to plateau.

To overcome these challenges, I created an app that generates Pimsleur-style audio courses from any file the user provides—particularly useful when using subtitles from current TV shows in the target language. This method offers multiple advantages: it exposes users to modern slang, improves comprehension of natural spoken dialogue, and encourages more authentic self-expression. Practicing with these audio files not only boosts understanding of the source material but also provides a more immersive and practical way to advance language skills.


How to use it

  1. Get a token. Email or message me if you need one.
  2. Choose the file you want to upload. You can use srt files (subtitles), lyrics, transcripts, etc.
  3. Parse the file and check it to make sure it is what you are expecting.
    • Parsing will split up longer phrases into smaller ones if they contain punctuation.
    • If your file contains more than the maximum number of phrases allowed, it will return multiple parsed files of the maximum allowed phrases.
  4. Choose the voices that you want to learn from here
  5. Choose the pause in seconds you want between phrases.
    • A four-second pause works well if you plan on sitting at a computer and can pause playback.
    • Eight to ten seconds works well if stopping playback is not available.
  6. Choose the pattern you want to learn from.
    • Standard works well for most cases.
    • Advanced repeats the phrases less and is suitable if you are already beyond an intermediate level.
    • Review only repeats the phrases one time.
  7. After making your parsing your file and making your choices, go to Audio