Prismatext

Loses your page all the time so when you log back in after a while you have to find where you goto, mental! They’ve had over 4 years to get this product right! Can’t log into app if you have no signal so you have no access to your books. Really!? They’ve now after years updated the app to full screen on iPad which is a very welcome update. The app still doesn’t sync reading place/ pages across iPhone to iPad so you lose your reading place. These issues may seem minor but believe me they ruin the user experience so I can only award 1 stars for an unfinished product.

This is a fantastic and enjoyable way to learn a new language, what a great idea! You can choose how much of you book you’d like to be in your chosen language, from a little to moderate, to a higher amount of text. I tried the higher amount but found I was checking text too often and not getting to enjoy the book as much so found moderate is just perfect for me at the moment. I will aim to read through twice having learned the language with text on moderate. The app is new and still in development so does have some bugs/mistakes. Turning the page doesn’t always happen straight away or it turns backwards instead of forwards. I’ve noticed a couple of errors and it does have a correction facility but as I’m learning I don’t want to do it incorrectly so never made a request ask to change it. Overall though, a great tool for language immersion at your own pace, and in an interesting and engaging way. Well done to the developers, brilliant idea! 👏

Absolutely brilliant app. Such a nice way to introduce language without it feeling like effort. They were really helpful too when I originally couldn’t find the book I’d purchased. Cannot recommend enough!

I would recommend Prismatext to anyone looking to increase their vocabulary in an enjoyable way. Can’t wait to choose the next book to read and learn from.

Great idea in theory, but the book I bought appeared to be translated by artificial UNintelligence: there were *constant* contextual errors, e.g. fast (speed) translated as fast (not eating). Fortunately I have enough French to spot the error (and multiple similar mistakes), but it made for a very jarring read. There is an option to suggest corrections but this means you’re paying £8.99 to proof-read and correct someone else’s book, which – for the HUGE number of errors I encountered –makes it a total rip off. So, completely useless as a learning exercise (zero trust in the translation), and – even when you can spot the errors – it’s seriously tiresome to read. Not risking my money again. App deleted.

I’ve had Prismatext for quite a few weeks now. I’m using it alongside another (more picture-based) language learning app and an online course. In some ways, it requires me to mentally switch-off “learning” the target language and to just read in my native language. It’s amazing how, after a while, you find yourself picking up words and to know them instinctively without realising it. The new language becomes a bit denser as you progress through the book, building on what has gone before. I think it’s important to choose a book you’d already like to read in your own language. I’m reading books by the Brontes because I’ve always been meaning to read them but haven’t - until now. So I’m enjoying the books as I would an English language book, but also picking up words and phrases in Dutch without much effort. Also, just have to mention the excellent customer support - very quick to respond and extremely helpful.

I’m enjoying using these books. I’ve been reading an old favourite of mine, and am impressed how quickly and easily I have learned lots of new vocabulary, without any effort, and with lots of enjoyment. I shall definitely be reading more.

The samples are essentially useless. They are only available in french / german / Italian & you only get the basic level of substitutions - you can’t see what the increased density looks like. I wanted to see what the substitutions were like for a Sino-Tibetan language (chinese specifically) or others that do not have indo-European roots - the difference in the grammar structures between english-chinese has me concerned that this method is not going to work and there is not way to try.

English to Swedish. Incorrect words used in the translation. Kärlek (noun) used where älskar(verb) should be used. Lost faith in the quality of the translation and stopped reading when I noticed this.

My partner discovered this app. I started learning Greek, and she, French, using various sources other than human tutors. It has been a refreshing and fun addition to our range of learning experiences. The range of books is fair and improving slowly (still a young company), and the pricing is fair considering the work that probably has to go into creating the content. The app is well made. Definitely a ‘novel’ approach to learning a language, and effective. It works by replacing pieces of text with the language one is learning, which leads me to one small criticism: I believe the replaced text in the Greek version is less dense than the the French version, which is a little concerning, as there are three density settings and mine has been on highest from the very start. Otherwise, well worth using. 5 stars to help you out, guys.