Ludwig knows the right words
How long does it take you to write something in English? And I don’t mean just something random so that the sentence contains all the necessary words, arranged one next to the other. I mean writing in a way that the text really makes sense, reads pleasantly and makes the reader read on.
If you haven’t yet achieved complete fluency in English (and even after achieving it), you can use various helping tools to make your writing natural. Whether you rely on machine translation, blogs or forums, it all costs time and too much redundant information can be distracting. And in the end, the result is not at all as we would like.
Ludwig comes to your aid – it is a clever translator and linguistic search tool that focuses more on the natural language and the use of phrases in context and not as much on grammar rules.
In order to be able to look up more expressions in one day, we recommend you sign up. The registration is free.
After the free registration, Ludwig offers four different features to choose from (the last of which can only be used in the paid version).
Search example
If you have already written a sentence and want to verify if it’s correct, copy it into the search bar. Ludwig will show you reliable and suitable examples to compare with your sentence in just a few milliseconds. The search results are nicely arranged below each other, so it won’t take you long to find any errors. And moreover, Ludwig can identify typos as well.
Translation example
If you don’t know exactly how to form a sentence in English, you will appreciate the translation function. Ludwig supports many languages, and in cooperation with automatic translation from Google, it will immediately offer you a possible alternative. If you click on the speaker icon next to the translated words, you can listen to the phrase or the whole sentence aloud.
- Hint: In this step, I’d like to mention one more useful additional function – the filter. Once you click on it, you can choose the category from which the compared sources should be, as well as the sources based on a suitable topic.
Dictionary example
However, Ludwig can do much more than just contextual search and translation. It also has a dictionary, which will certainly come in handy when searching for terms, as the algorithm can find not only an explanation of the words but also examples of how they are used in different contexts.
Wild card example
The last function is the so-called “wild card”, which, however, is part of a paid premium account. It allows you to enter incomplete phrases and show you what word you could use instead of a typed asterisk.
App
For even greater ease of use, you can also download Ludwig as an ad-free app for your desktop computer. The functions are the same and the effective and plain design does not hinder your creativity when writing. If you don’t need Ludwig at the moment, it will stay hidden in the background. And when you need Ludwig’s help, just click on its icon and it will come to your aid.
- Hint: To display the wider context in which the searched expressions or phrases were used, click on the two small arrows facing each other in the top right corner. Ludwig will show you a part of the text surrounding the expression you looked up.
In the free version, you have 6 searches available per day after registration. This is enough for shorter texts, but for longer ones it can be restrictive.
Premium account
With a premium account, you have a choice of three subscription options, either biannual, with which Ludwig costs you about 3 euros per month, an annual one for which the price is about 4 euros a month, or a monthly one for about 8 euros/month. You will have access to unlimited search and use, as well as the bonus feature of the wild card. With advanced filtering, you choose your preferred sources and turn off the ones you find less useful. The database also contains specific jargon and resources, which you can use for technical or more difficult texts. If you need more time to make your decision, you can try the 15 days free trial.
If you’ve ever wondered whether a sentence you wrote was correct, how you should use a given verb, or whether the translation you chose is suitable, give Ludwig a go. Maybe it will become your new useful assistant for learning foreign languages and writing texts in them!
Image source: ludwig.guru
The author of this blog post is Daša Oravcová, a professional translator and member of the Language Mentoring team since 2018.
Language Mentoring provides a complete guide for learning any language using simple and often free resources on the internet and in bookshops. It was founded by polyglot, language mentor and author of this website, Lýdia Machová, in 2016. She's learned 9 languages by herself and she adds another one every other year. Her philosophy is that everybody can learn a language regardless talent, age or other qualities – if they know how to do it.