For those who don’t know me, I’ve worked in the machine-learning field for decades. I’ve seen many new technologies come and go, each promising to be the next “silver bullet” that’s going to change everything. None have lived up to the promises and while the technology behind Large Language Models (LLMs) is certainly interesting, so far I think this is in the same camp: useful in certain contexts but vastly over-hyped.
Having said that, I have been playing with both ChatGPT and Bard and found some interesting use-cases that I’ve found intriguing. This post introduces a few that you can put to use immediately.
Vocabulary Building
To begin, suppose you want to construct or enlarge one of your Language Islands? An easy way to begin is to ask ChatGPT to create a vocabulary list, suitable for your level. For example, I provided the prompt:
I am studying Japanese and am currently at the JLPT N2 level. Can you please provide me with a list of ten useful vocabulary words or phrases related to the topic of "international travel?" Please format those into a table and add a simple, sample sentence for each. Thank you.And ChatGPT dutifully responded thusly…
Certainly! Here's a list of ten useful vocabulary words and phrases related to international travel, along with sample sentences:| Vocabulary | Pronunciation | Sample Sentence (English) | Sample Sentence (Japanese) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Passport | パスポート (pasupōto) | Don’t forget to bring your passport to the airport. | 空港にパスポートを持って行くのを忘れないでください。 |
| 2. Customs | 関税 (kanzei) | You have to declare items at customs when you enter a country. | 国に入る時は、関税でアイテムを申告しなければなりません。 |
| 3. Boarding pass | 搭乗券 (tōjōken) | Make sure to keep your boarding pass with you until you board the plane. | 飛行機に搭乗するまで、搭乗券を持ち歩いてください。 |
| 4. Currency exchange | 両替 (ryōgae) | It’s wise to exchange some currency before you travel abroad. | 海外に旅行する前に、通貨を両替するのが賢明です。 |
| 5. Departure gate | 出発ゲート (shuppatsu gēto) | Our flight’s departure gate has changed to gate 12. | 私たちのフライトの出発ゲートが12番に変更されました。 |
| 6. Immigration | 入国管理 (nyūkoku kanri) | You’ll need to go through immigration upon arrival in a foreign country. | 外国に到着したら、入国管理を通過する必要があります。 |
| 7. Hotel reservation | ホテル予約 (hoteru yoyaku) | Make sure you have a hotel reservation before you arrive. | 到着前にホテルの予約を確認してください。 |
| 8. Tourist visa | 観光ビザ (kankō biza) | Make sure to apply for a tourist visa before your trip. | 旅行の前に観光ビザの申請を忘れずに行ってください。 |
| 9. Luggage | 手荷物 (tenimotsu) | Please make sure to pick up your luggage at baggage claim. | 手荷物受取所で荷物を受け取ることを忘れないでください。 |
| 10. Travel itinerary | 旅程 (ryotei) | Have you finalized your travel itinerary for the trip? | 旅行のための旅程を最終確認しましたか？ |
From here, I can refine, ask for more vocab or sample sentences, dig into definitions, add additional columns to the table and so on. The sky’s the limit.
Conversation Preparation
Have you ever had the experience of heading into a language exchange or a tutoring session and having no idea what to talk about or how to get the conversation started? I have, for sure. It’s frustrating and can put a drag on the entire session.
ChatGPT can be used as an accelerator to get you ready to go beforehand. For example, given the prompt:
I am studying Japanese and am at the JLTP N2 level. I will be having a language exchange session shortly and want to talk about "international travel" with my partner. Can you please provide me a list of five conversation starter questions? Please put them into a table, together with three possible responses (30 words or less) to each question. Thanks.And ChatGPT responds…
| Conversation Starter Question | Possible Responses |
|---|---|
| 1. お気に入りの海外旅行先はどこですか？ (What is your favorite international travel destination?) | 東京です。日本の文化と食べ物が好きです。 (Tokyo. I love Japanese culture and food.) パリです。ロマンチックな街並みが大好きです。 (Paris. I love the romantic streets.) バリ島です。自然が美しいです。 (Bali. The nature is beautiful. |
| 2. 今までに訪れた国で一番印象に残っているのはどこですか？ (Which country you have visited has left the biggest impression on you?) | イタリアです。歴史的な建造物や美しい景色が忘れられません。 (Italy. The historical buildings and beautiful landscapes are unforgettable.) タイです。人々の温かさが印象的でした。 (Thailand. The warmth of the people was impressive.) オーストラリアです。自然の豊かさに驚きました。 (Australia. I was amazed by the richness of nature.) |
| 3. 海外旅行での最悪の経験は何ですか？ (What’s the worst experience you’ve had while traveling abroad?) | 荷物を失くしたことがあります。大変だったです。 (I’ve lost my luggage. It was tough.) 飛行機の欠航で長時間空港で待たなければならなかったことがあります。 (I had to wait at the airport for hours due to a canceled flight.) 異文化の食べ物に慣れるのが難しかったです。 (It was difficult to get used to the food in a different culture.) |
| 4. 今度の旅行でどこに行く予定ですか？ (Where are you planning to go on your next trip?) | 韓国に行く予定です。韓国料理が好きなので、楽しみです。 (I’m planning to go to South Korea. I love Korean food, so I’m excited.) 友達とヨーロッパ旅行を計画しています。 (I’m planning a trip to Europe with friends.) 東南アジアの国々を回るバックパッキング旅行を計画しています。 (I’m planning a backpacking trip around Southeast Asian countries.) |
| 5. 海外旅行で一番楽しい思い出は何ですか？ (What is your most enjoyable memory from traveling abroad?) | フランスの街を散策して、地元の人々と交流できたことが最高でした。 (Walking through the streets of France and interacting with locals was the best.) タイのビーチでのリラックスした時間が忘れられません。 (I can’t forget the relaxing time on the beaches of Thailand.) ドイツのオクトーバーフェストで楽しい時を過ごしました。 (I had a great time at Oktoberfest in Germany.) |
Disambiguation
I’ve often looked up a word in a Japanese dictionary, found numerous possible translations, and had no idea which word is used when. It’s confusing and frustrating and I bet you’ll felt that way, too. Particularly when you get into the higher levels, if you want to sound natural, understanding the nuances between similar words becomes both more and more challenging and more and more important.
I am loving ChatGPT for this usage. Rather than waiting to ask one of my tutors, I can go straight to GPT-sensei and get really crisp, detailed explanations. For example, a couple of words I’ve seen frequently that both mean “experience” are 経験 and 体験. But what’s the difference between them and when should I use each? That had puzzled me for some time. Not any more. With this prompt…
Can you please explain the difference between 経験 and 体験 and give me three simple example sentences for each? Thank you.I got the following response:
Certainly! Both "経験" (けいけん, keiken) and "体験" (たいけん, taiken) relate to experiences, but they have slightly different nuances:
1. **経験 (けいけん, keiken)**:
- This term refers to experiences in a general sense, including both personal and professional encounters, and it often implies accumulated knowledge or skill gained through these experiences.
Example sentences:
1. 彼は豊富な経験を持っています。
(He has rich experience.)
2. その仕事は経験を積むのに最適です。
(That job is perfect for gaining experience.)
3. 旅行は人生の豊かな経験の一つです。
(Traveling is one of life's enriching experiences.)
2. **体験 (たいけん, taiken)**:
- This term specifically emphasizes direct, personal, or hands-on experiences. It often implies experiencing something firsthand rather than simply knowing about it.
Example sentences:
1. 彼はスカイダイビングの体験をしたことがあります。
(He has experienced skydiving.)
2. 子供たちは自然の中での体験を通じて学びます。
(Children learn through experiences in nature.)
3. このイベントは新しい文化を体験する絶好の機会です。
(This event is a great opportunity to experience a new culture.)
In summary, while both terms relate to experiences, "経験" tends to refer to broader or accumulated experiences, often in professional or life contexts, while "体験" emphasizes direct, personal, or hands-on experiences, often in more specific or immediate situations.Pretty cool, right? 勉強になりました！(I’ve learned a lot!)
Conclusion
Do note: these tools do make mistakes (hallucinations) occasionally – they are not perfect. But then again, neither are human language partners and tutors. And if you think you see something that seems a bit off, you can always ask the AI to validate and see if, for example, there’s a more natural way to say something or a better word to use.
For now, though, particularly as a source of Comprehensible Input, LLMs show great promise. More on this later. In the meantime, give it a try!
P.S. Pro-tip: as in the examples above, always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to our future AI Overlords.
P.P.S. Much of my experimentation was inspired by a talk I saw by Josh Goldsmith of TechForWord at the New Year – New Language Summit 2024.