Google Translate vs. ChatGPT: Useful tools to learn English in London

Do you use Google Translate?

Of course you do!

I move it to the front page of my phone whenever I visit a place where I don’t speak or read the language, starting at the airport. Almost nobody carries a dictionary abroad anymore, though you do see older people looking at the Phrasebook Section of their Rough Guide or Lonely Planet to find how to ask for a toilet.

Is Google Translate Useful for English Language Students?

But does your teacher frown if you use Google Translate in your classroom at our English language school in London? They might, but I don’t. In fact I encourage it, mainly for quick checks. Google Translate will provide definitions etc, but they are a little too high-level, and you need to know the unfamiliar words in the definition. Aaaahh!

Traditional Dictionaries vs. Online Learning Tools

Dictionary or ChatGPT?

These are the two main alternatives to help you learn English vocabulary effectively.

First, English/English dictionaries. For some of you at B1 and above, you actually want a definition and examples in English. Go for it, I say. Some of my students have paid for a dictionary app, such as Cambridge or OALD (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary), which are often considered the best dictionaries for English learners. These have been written specifically for learners like you, so the explanations are clear and simple, although a bit long sometimes. If you don’t want to pay, these and others are available free online – you just need WiFi or 5G. I’d encourage you to try different dictionaries, and not just the famous ones I already mentioned. There are online-only ones like Dictionary.com and so many others. Try a few and see if they work for you. Eventually, narrow it down to two that you like. If possible, use two that offer different styles of explanation, and examples relevant to you, and look at both for words that you think you actually need to use.

Tip: use the standard Google Search page, type the word (e.g. serendipity) and begin to type m-e-a-n-i-n-g… and almost immediately, after ‘m’, a drop-down list will appear with “serendipity meaning”. Click on it, and you will have a set of dictionary type websites, some of them very reliable, some less so. Try some out!

Using AI to Learn English: A Guide to ChatGPT & Gemini

But, of course, Google will now give you an AI answer from their own AI – Gemini. And Gemini is just one of several free AIs. On my phone I have apps for: Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Claude and MetaAI. Oh, and Chat GPT, of course.

Which brings us to, number 2, using AI to learn English—specifically using an AI like Chat GPT for finding meanings. Many of my students have switched over to this already. Are they right? Pretty much, yeah. AIs have been trained on massive amounts of text, and they are good with meanings. There’s lots more to say about using AIs in language learning (see the next few blogs on here), but here are a couple of tips on using Chat GPT or one of the others.

Tip 1: You can enter “serendipity meaning and 3 examples”, but actually “serendipity mng 3 egs” works, or even “serendipity?”, and you will get an explanation and examples, just like a good dictionary.

Tip 2: Interact! Depending on your need, ask “More examples for academic essays”, “Simpler explanation”, “Define in French” “Other meanings?” “Use twice in a dialogue”. Whatever you need, ask for it, and your friendly, polite, patient AI will respond. And if it isn’t quite what you wanted, ask for another version.

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