Deepl.com/write – A Review (and Request)

I recently heard about deepl.com/write. (It is free.) It is a AI-powered writing assistant tool. It helps improve written communication by correcting grammar and offering alternative word and/or sentence choices. It currently supports English (American), English (British), French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian) and Spanish. (See screenshots below and visit the site.)

I was immediately curious if this was a website that we (my students and I) could use to help facillitate language acquistion and improve writing in the target language in the classroom.

Below I share some screenshots and thoughts about deepl.com/write and its function in the target language. However, before I start, I am kindly requesting two things:

1. If you are familar with the language acquisition (or brain) science associated with this type of site and if/how they are effective, please let me know!
   
2. If you have – or after you have – used deepl.com/write, please share your thoughts, insights, student reactions, and how you used it (and at what level). I would like to hear how others are using it!

WEBSITE LINK: https://www.deepl.com/en/write

I tried this with my German IV students.

To be clear: I did not “teach” with it. I did not use it to introduce a concept or vocabulary. I did not use it to “subsitute” me as the teacher. I also did not use it as a direct “error correction” tool either. I not only wanted to see what my students thought about it overall, but I also wanted to know if my students could use it as a “reinforcing” or “refining” tool.

To begin, I will tell you that they really enjoyed it! (I was actually surpised at the amount of positive feedback they gave me.) They made comments such as:

• “I really like this!”
• “This is so helpful!”
• “Finally, a website that actually helps you!”
• “The instant feedback is awesome! I understand the ‘corrections’ and suggestions!”

In class, I first coached my students a bit about the site before they used it. I said this NOT a ‘cut and paste’ translator. I explained to them that they can use this as a tool that gives you instant feedback. I told them that it is still their job to write what (and how) you can. In short, I coached them to use it ethically and as a tool for growth in their writing abilities in the target language.

• Note: They soon learned that they had to write ‘good’ sentences in German for it to be effective. They could NOT simply write nonsense. (See example #3 below in the ‘Observations‘ section.)

I also coached them to not “get down” about their writing. I explained that this is a tool and we are simply trying to see if it is helpful. (I should note that they did get excited when there were little to no ‘corrections’. I heard one student say loudly, “Oh my gosh! I got it ‘right’! I am awesome at writing.” – a confidence boost for students?) However, I also coached them about not making this a ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ thing. I tried to convey the idea to use it to reinforce & refine concepts that they are already familiar with.

Then, when we went to the site, my students just tried typing in sentences to understand how it worked and the different functions of the site.

After they understood the site, they applied it to their own original, mini-story. BUT they first had to write the story – in German – with no resources. Then they tried deepl.com/write afterwards.

• Note: I encouraged them to not just cut and paste the whole story, but rather type in individual sentences where they were not as confident. For example, a sentence with a relative clauses in German. (German teachers do you feel my pain?)

Overall, I found this to be a positive experience. The students also reported that it was a positive experience and they found the website helpful. (Again, this was only in the context of writing and not speaking.)

My students reported that they felt it helped them with their writing. They reported that they next time they wrote in German without using resources, they felt more confident and could recall – and apply – some of the feedback they received previously.

Note: I will tell you that my district unblocked the site for my students for one week. Afterwards, it was blocked again on their school chromebooks. So, we only had a week to work with the site in class.

• Hint: If you try it, you may need to get your district to unblock the site on district computers.

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Below you will find some screenshots from the site and see some of the functionality of the site. I then shared some of my observations.

Important Note: The title/description is above the corresponding screenshot. For example, “Homescreen:” corresponds to the screenshot directly below it.

Homescreen:

Language Selection:

Example Sentence: On the left is the sentence I typed. On the right is the ‘corrective’ feedback. Plus, you will see a list of alternatives.

• For those not familiar with German. I conjugated the verb ‘haben’ incorrectly and I used the wrong from of the article ‘der’. Both ‘mistakes’ are in highlighted and corrected on the right.
  • Note: The original sentence is comprehensible, just not grammatically correct.

Examples of more “grammatically incorrect” & (more complicated) constructions (and alternatives):

• Sentence with a Relative Clause: “The man, who(m) I know, is a good friend.”

• Sentence with Subjuncitve: “I would not have said that.”

• Present Perfect Tense with alternatives in the Past: “We went to the supermarket.”

• Alternatives are NOT given when you type more than one sentence at a time. However, feedback is still given for the sentences. “We played baseball. Then we ate.”

Observations on Feedback and Alternatives:

1. It seems that you have to understand the language at a certain level in order to learn from your ‘mistake’ and understand the ‘corrections’. The ‘corrections’ (forms, structures, etc.) have to be something you are familiar with. In other words, you have to recongize and understand the correction for it to be helpful.
   
   • For example, article changes in German. Level 4 students understand this concept in German. When they see an article corrected in the feedback, they understand why it is and why it changed. (German 1 would not fully understand this.)
     • Note: My German 4 students did ask some questions about the feedback that they did not understand. (They were not familiar with certain structures and grammatical elements.) Sometimes I could explain it with a quick “pop-up” explanation. Another time, I told them not to worry about at that time and move on. (It would have been too complicated.)
       
2. This leads me to my next observation. It seems that you have to understand the language at a certain level to be able to understand the alternatives. Sometimes the alternatives are in different tenses and/or do not necessarily convey the same meaning.
   
3. Also, in some cases, the feedback also doesn’t convey the original meaning. Again, knowing the language at a certain level. (See example in the screenshot below.)
   • Orignal (incorrect): We went to the supermarket.
   • ‘Corrected’: “We were in the supermarket.”
     • The second alternative is what I was going for.
   • Note: This is why I wrote at the beginning of the blog post that my students had to write ‘good’ German sentences for this to be effective.

Questions:

• Is it correct to assume that you would you have to have knowledge of the correction – outside of just spelling – for it to be helpful? (You have to understand the concept that is being ‘corrected’?)
• Would this site only be effective with upper levels, who have more understanding of the language?
  • My inclination is yes.
• Can it be implemented with lower levels also?
  • My inclination is no. Although the input given by the students would be at their level, e.g. novice, novice-mid, and the feedback would come back at their level, the fact that they are not versed in the concepts of the corrections yet, would cause it to be lost on them.
    • e.g., Ich haben ein Hund –> Ich habe einen Hund. (I have a dog.)
      • conjugation and declension, although German I may not have a concept of the declension in German yet?
• Can students learn/acquire from it even if they don’t fully grasp the feedback?
  • Is it sometimes easier to see the ‘answer’ and work backwards? (I know in math class sometimes it was easier for me to see the answer and then work backwards to see how to arrive at the correct answer.)
• Could the listed alternatives and suggested vocabulary help expand students’ vocabulary?
• Would any of this help or hinder their speaking ability or would it be more contained to writing?
• Are there any specific CI/ADI applications or considerations that can be associated with this?

I will leave it there for now. I am still in the ‘experimental’ phase with this. Again, I am experimenting with this as simply a reinforcing/refining tool, not a ‘cut and paste’ option. I want my students to use it ethically and get something out of this. I want them to gain more understanding, acquisition, and confidence in the language – even if it is just in writing. (Also, if it isn’t helpful or supported by science and observation, I am happy to scrap it.)

And I am truly looking for more insight on this, including the effectiveness of it. Again, I am asking you – if not slightly imploring you – to help me understand this, both the science a how you use it (and its effectiveness with your students.)

Thank you for your time and help! I look forward to the conversation!

P.S. Check out this blog post for more functionalities of deepl.com/write, including:

• “Show changes”
• styles
• tones
• and a (possible) glimpse into the future of communication and conversations with AI