Launching today
Libgrafy
Learn a language by reading what interests you
11 followers
Learn a language by reading what interests you
11 followers
Libgrafy creates unlimited reading on anything you're interested in, whether mythology, a true crime case or a sci-fi thriller, in 37+ languages, including ones most apps skip like Yoruba and Basque. Every piece is written to be genuinely engaging, not the dry filler learners settle for. Tap any word for a context-aware translation, sentence breakdown and insight notes, and hear it aloud. Then it flips reading into writing: explain what you learned and get feedback.
I had first thought of making an app like this back in 2018 when I was backpacking through Southeast Asia. I wanted to learn some of the region's languages: xin chào; sawasdee kráp; kamusta; just the basics.
Each language was a way to connect not only to meaning but also to the culture and people. So naturally I wanted to go deeper and enrich my vocabulary.
I had learned French primarily through reading, which I believe is the greatest low-cost, high-reward activity.
Language learning requires consistent exposure over a long period of time. Living in a non-French speaking part of Canada naturally demanded a lot of motivation to sustain exposure to the language. So I needed a resource.
The resource must be:
1. Large enough to last.
2. Meaningful and interesting enough to keep using.
I picked literature.
I used learning-with-text software and also listened to audiobooks. My comprehension improved and I slowly went from active learning to acquisition.
I found that for any new endeavour in a language my brain needed reading material. But nothing irrelevant or educational. It had to be interesting: curiosity needed to drive the process.
I was trying to find something similar for these lesser known SE Asian languages but they notoriously lack viable and consistent resources. And what they do have is often inconvenient, inaccessible or outdated.
Then I thought about Libgrafy. At that time it was just a nameless platform that housed libraries of stories in foreign languages. Okay, cool story, but I didn't know what to do with it. I was too busy backpacking.
In 2023 I was living in Thailand, trying to realize a dream of being a digital nomad and working on this platform.
I hired a few content writers to make stories for me. After a long time of trial and error and asking users for feedback, I found out it's not financially feasible to use content writers. Quality varies enormously. Negotiating prices is one argument after the next. I'd also need a lot of content, and more coming in, to justify a subscription. With AI, it's now possible and it's only going to get far more interesting...
the tap-to-translate with the context-aware notes feels really thoughtful, not just a dictionary lookup like most reading apps do. curious how it handles the rarer languages like Yoruba under the hood.
Love that tapping a word pulls up the translation, breakdown, and insight notes in one go instead of bouncing me between tabs. Adding Yoruba and Basque is a quietly bold move.
tried a Yoruba myth on a whim and the audio actually sounded decent, not robotic. flipping it into a quick explain-back felt like a real check instead of just reading.
finally tried libgrafy with a basque folk tale and the tap-to-translate felt surprisingly natural, the sentence breakdown actually explained idioms instead of just swapping words. wish more language apps took lesser known languages this seriously.
Tried the Basque sample this morning and it actually felt readable, not like a textbook throwaway. Tapping words for the breakdown mid-paragraph was a nice touch, kept me in flow instead of alt-tabbing to a dictionary.