I know you hadn’t forgotten, but we’re working on our iOS app, and we want to whet your anticipation a bit further, so here’s another app tester story. This time we hear from Diny in Chile, who has an enviable Skritter-from-hammock setup.
I’m a French / German translator from The Netherlands, and I live in Chile. China is exactly at the other end of the world as seen from here. I started learning Chinese in Nigeria, where I used to live. A Nigerian teacher who lived in China for some years gave me the first couple of lessons. I was struggling to get the tones right, while none of my classmates seemed to have any problem with the tones: their African languages were all tonal languages!
I haven’t been to China (yet), but I love learning new languages. Out of the eight languages I know, I consider Chinese as the most fascinating to learn. I immediately fell in love with the sound of the language and the characters. Here in Chile it was very difficult to find a teacher, as I live in a remote Andes town. I booked an occasional lesson online, but now I try to study at home. Initially, it was extremely boring to write characters: repeating the same character again and again on a piece of paper. So I thought I would do this “later”. I used Anki to be able to read the characters. I thought I did very well… until I discovered Skritter! Recognizing a character is completely different from writing it, as you probably all know.
I read Nick’s blog about the iOS app and immediately applied for a place in the tester group. Being very new to the Chinese language and having hardly any experience with the web version of Skritter, I am very grateful that he included me in the alpha list. I started using Skritter on my iPad and it was not only great to be able to use the app on long bus rides in Chile and on endless flights to Europe, but it was also an excellent means of passing the time in an enjoyable way, when waiting at the dentist’s for example.
However, the most useful part is probably that I’m able to use the app when I’m offline. The internet connection is so erratic here that I cannot imagine Skrittering on my computer all the time. The connection is lost about 5-10 times (or more) per hour. This is no problem when using the app.
I also study online with a writing pad on my computer every now and then, but found out that I can Skritter much faster on my iPad. I prefer using a stylus, but sometimes when I’m Skrittering in bed, I use my finger to write, which also works fine.
That was the useful part. Yet, the VERY best thing about Skritter is that I am able to Skritter in my hammock outside on the veranda. I work a lot on the computer, but when Skrittering on my iPad I don’t really have the feeling that I’m working on a computer, especially not when I can do this in my hammock! The only reason to still use the web version on the computer is the fact that I am sharing the iPad with my partner.
Skritter is by far the most effective way to learn how to write characters, I think. The app is improving all the time. In the latest version I can even add new words and mnemonics without having to use my computer. I already know more than 320 characters and think I couldn’t have reached this level without the iOS app. Nevertheless, I realize I still have a long way to go, er… to Skritter!
If you haven’t already, go check out the Skritter iOS app teaser page and sign up to get an email when we launch the free app. You’ll also be entered to win a free iPad to Skritter on.