Tyler Cole

Palteca - All-new Spanish learning app that bans translations

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We launched a year ago, and now we’ve rebuilt everything. Real native speakers replace stock videos. Guided Immersion shows usage not translations. Daily fluency insights beyond the app, real fluency needs more than an app.

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Tyler Cole
Hey Product Hunt! 👋 Today marks almost exactly 1 year since we first launched Palteca here. Wild timing - Sora 2 drops and everyone's talking about AI videos for everything, yet we're doubling down on real human connection, which is why most of us learn languages, to feel more connected with one another. Why? Because after running hundreds of experiments and thousands of improvements this year, we discovered something crucial: translation exercises are why people with 365-day streaks still freeze in real conversations. What we changed in this complete rebuild: ✅ 100% real native speakers - Ditched all stock videos. Every lesson now features actual native Spanish speakers in authentic situations ✅ Guided Immersion instead of translations - When you see "¿Qué tal?" we don't say "How are you?" We say "Use this to ask about someone's day" ✅ Fluency Insights - Daily insights that admit what other apps won't: you need more than an app. "Watch Spanish YouTube for 10 minutes." "Change your phone to Spanish." “Talk to your pet in Spanish.” Honest advice in and out of the app that works ✅ Social features that combat isolation - Add friends, compete in challenges, celebrate together. Because language is about human connection ✅ Tons More: Completely rebuilt onboarding experience, added achievements, new things to do in Lessons, hundreds of new exercises in Activities, and much more The language learning space is brutal - billion-dollar incumbents, new AI apps launching daily. But we're a bootstrapped small team who believe the industry's obsession with gamified translation is fundamentally broken. We're not promising fluency in 5 minutes a day for 1 month. We're promising an approach that actually prepares you for real conversations that match your language goals. AMA about language acquisition, why we chose immersion over translation, or how a tiny team competes against not just a single Goliath! 🚀
Tony Tong

@tyler_co Congrats! love the immersion-first stance. How do you scaffold beginners so “no translation” stays intuitive, and can Fluency Insights adapt to personal goals (work, travel, slang) without drifting back to English crutches?

Tyler Cole

@tonyabracadabra Thanks Tony! The expectation-setting and scaffolding as you call it is honestly one of the most difficult challenges, especially as our target user is someone who has identified that they struggle, but don't quite understand the why. This makes it difficult for us because they're likely already use to other apps doing translation-based exercises. We try to walk them through real-world situations and show with examples of why immersion works. Great idea about the Fluency Insights! We don't currently support this, but I love the idea, and that's something we'll definitely add to the roadmap. Thanks again!

Lena Pan

@tyler_co Cannot wait to try the ios version!

Tyler Cole

@na_pan Hi Lena - it is available today on the App Store :)

Nika

Repeating it again (and I will not stop) – everything educational has my sympathy! :)

Tyler Cole
@busmark_w_nika thank you! Really appreciate it!
Oskar Nyberg

I’ve tried apps that just give translations, and I still freeze when talking to real people. I like that Palteca focuses on real conversations and pushes you to practice outside the app too. Seems like doing challenges with others could make practicing more natural.

Vladimir Lugovsky

Love that you’re banning translations! Forcing immersion is such a powerful way to learn a new language. It feels like Duolingo for serious learners. Sent this to my friend who currently learns Spanish.

Tyler Cole

@vladimir_lugovsky Awesome, thank you for doing that Vladimir! Exactly, our target audience is the serious learners. I always felt Duolingo was easy, and before starting building the app when doing market research, I went down the rabbit hole and was shocked to see how they identify themselves as a doomscrolling-alternative and not as much as language learning as external folks perceive them to be.

Van de Vouchy

Congrats! Considering Palteca’s subscription price starts at $15.99 per month, which is higher than many mainstream competitors, what is your approach to justifying this premium cost to potential users, and are there plans to introduce more affordable pricing tiers or discounts in the future?

Tyler Cole

@vouchy Thanks! Palteca features native speakers in everyday scenarios, using full immersion and Comprehensible Input to build listening and speaking abilities. Unlike translation-based apps, our lessons mirror authentic conversations with actual people interacting. We also invest heavily in explaining concepts without translation and in crafting an immersion-first curriculum for mobile. At $15.99/month, it’s still more affordable than immersion classes or one-on-one tutoring.

Sohan Patil

Congrats on the launch! Can we switch between input-focused immersion and explicit grammar drills without disrupting progress?