Polyglotton: A Complete Guide

This is a straightforward guide to Polyglotton – what it is, what it isn’t, and how to use it effectively

What Polyglotton Is

Polyglotton is a privacy-first, offline-capable Progressive Web App (PWA) for language learning. It’s designed around three core principles:

Your data stays yours – Everything is stored locally on your device. No servers, no accounts, no tracking.
You choose what to download – The app itself is minimal. You import only the lessons you want.
Works offline – Once lessons are downloaded, you can practice anywhere without internet.

It’s not trying to gamify your learning or keep you hooked with streaks and notifications. It’s a tool – you decide how and when to use it.

What Makes It Different

Storage Architecture

Most language apps store your data on their servers. Polyglotton takes the opposite approach:

All lessons are stored in IndexedDB on your device
Your progress, session history, and statistics never leave your device
No user accounts, no login, no cloud sync
If you clear your browser data, you lose your progress (that’s the trade-off)

Lesson Import Model

The app itself doesn’t come with lessons pre-installed. Instead:

Browse available lessons on the website (polyglotton.com)
Import specific lessons you want to learn
Lessons are downloaded as JSON files and stored locally
Remove lessons you’re done with to save space

This keeps the app fast and lightweight. You’re not downloading hundreds of lessons you’ll never use.

Sync Bridge Technology

The connection between the website and the app uses a postMessage-based sync bridge:

The website embeds an invisible iframe pointing to the app
They communicate via cross-origin postMessage API
This allows the website to query which lessons you’ve imported
Import buttons work instantly without page reloads
It’s a technical solution to keep things simple for users

How to Use Polyglotton

Initial Setup

Visit the Website: Go to polyglotton.com
Choose Your Languages: Select your source language (what you speak) and target language (what you’re learning)
Browse Lessons: Filter by language pair, difficulty level, or topic
Import Lessons: Click “Import” on lessons that interest you

The first import triggers the app to open. Subsequent imports happen in the background.

The Library View

Your library shows all imported lessons with:

Title and description – What the lesson covers
Level indicator – CEFR levels (A1-C2)
Progress tracking – Percentage based on your best session performance
Card count – How many practice items are in the lesson
Language pair – Shows the source → target languages

Filtering Options:

Search by lesson title
Filter by progress status (All / Active / Completed)
Filter by language pair (if you’re learning multiple languages)

Practicing Lessons

When you open a lesson, you’ll work through various card types:

Translation Cards

You see a phrase in your source language and type the translation. The system accepts multiple valid answers – there’s rarely just one “correct” translation.

Reverse Translation

The opposite direction – translate from your target language back to your source language. Good for testing comprehension.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer from 2-4 options. Useful for vocabulary building and quick recall.

Cloze (Fill in the Blank)

Complete sentences by typing missing words. Often includes hints about what type of word is expected.

Listening Practice

The app uses text-to-speech to generate audio. You listen and answer questions. Quality depends on your browser’s TTS engine.

Story Fragments

Read a short passage in your target language, then answer a comprehension question. Context helps with retention.

Cultural Insights

Learn about customs, etiquette, and cultural context. Language doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

Session Mechanics

Each practice session:

Presents cards in a semi-random order
Tracks your accuracy for each card
Saves your progress automatically
Calculates an overall session score

Important: Progress is based on your best session for each card, not averages. This means:

You can retry lessons as many times as you want
Only your best performance counts
No penalty for mistakes during practice

The Open in App Button

On the lesson browser (website), imported lessons show an “Open in App” button:

Click it to jump directly to that lesson in the app
The URL format is /library/{lesson-id}
It opens in a new tab so you can keep browsing
Useful for quickly starting practice sessions

Technical Details

Progressive Web App (PWA)

Polyglotton is a PWA, which means:

Installable: Add it to your home screen like a native app
Offline-capable: Works without internet once installed
Responsive: Adapts to phone, tablet, or desktop
Updates automatically: No app store updates needed

Browser Compatibility

Works in any modern browser that supports:

IndexedDB (for local storage)
Service Workers (for offline functionality)
ES6+ JavaScript (for app logic)
CSS Grid (for responsive layout)

Tested on: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge

Data Storage

What’s stored locally:

Lesson content (cards, metadata, translations)
Your session history (attempts, scores, timestamps)
Progress statistics per lesson
Language preferences

What’s NOT stored:

No personal information
No tracking data
No authentication tokens
No analytics

Lesson File Format

Lessons are stored as JSON with this structure:

{
	"id": "lesson-id",
	"title": "Lesson Title",
	"description": "What this lesson covers",
	"level": "A1",
	"sourceLanguage": "en",
	"targetLanguage": "es",
	"cards": [
		{
			"id": "card-001",
			"type": "translation",
			"question": "Hello",
			"answers": ["Hola"],
			"context": "Basic greeting"
		}
	]
}

This format is designed to be:

Human-readable (you can inspect it if curious)
Extensible (new card types can be added)
Compact (keeps file sizes small)

Limitations and Trade-offs

Being honest about what Polyglotton doesn’t do:

No Cloud Sync

Your progress lives on one device. If you switch devices or clear browser data, you lose your history. This is intentional – no servers means no sync.

Workaround: You can re-import lessons on a new device, but your progress won’t transfer.

Limited Lesson Creation Tools

There’s no in-app lesson editor yet. Lessons are created as JSON files and imported. This makes it harder to contribute your own lessons.

Status: This is a known limitation we’re working on.

Text-to-Speech Quality Varies

Audio quality depends on your browser’s built-in TTS. Some languages have better voices than others.

Note: It’s functional for practice but not professional-grade audio.

No Spaced Repetition Algorithm (Yet)

The app doesn’t automatically schedule reviews based on forgetting curves. You decide when to practice.

Philosophy: We prefer simple, predictable behavior over complex algorithms that feel like black boxes.

No Social Features

No leaderboards, no friend challenges, no community forums. This is a deliberate choice to stay focused on learning, not engagement metrics.

Privacy and Security

What We Track: Nothing

The website and app don’t include:

Google Analytics or similar tracking
User accounts or authentication
Server-side logging of user actions
Third-party advertising networks

What the Website Can See

The sync bridge allows the website to:

Query which lessons you’ve imported (to show “Imported” badges)
Send import requests (when you click “Import”)
Request lesson deletion (when you click “Remove”)

This happens via postMessage API and requires the app to be open in an iframe. The website cannot:

See your session history
Access your progress data
Read lesson content from your device
Track your browsing behavior

Data Portability

Because everything is stored locally in IndexedDB, you can:

Inspect your data using browser DevTools
Export it using browser database tools
Clear it completely by clearing browser data

There’s no vendor lock-in because there’s no vendor controlling your data.

Who Polyglotton Is For

Good Fit If You:

Value privacy over cloud convenience
Want to learn at your own pace without pressure
Prefer offline-capable tools
Like having control over what’s installed on your device
Don’t want to create yet another account

Maybe Not Right If You:

Need progress sync across multiple devices
Want community features and social learning
Expect professional voice actors for audio
Need structured lesson paths and curriculum planning
Want gamification and daily streak reminders

Getting Help

Website

Visit polyglotton.com for:

Lesson catalog
Documentation and guides
Language learning articles

Technical Issues

Since there’s no account system, support is limited. Common solutions:

Lessons won’t import: Make sure the app is accessible at the configured URL. Check browser console for errors.

Progress disappeared: Browser data was likely cleared. Re-import lessons to start fresh.

Sync bridge not working: Refresh the page. The iframe might need to reconnect.

Audio not playing: Check browser permissions for audio. Try a different browser if TTS quality is poor.

Development Philosophy

Polyglotton is built on these principles:

Privacy by design: If we don’t collect it, it can’t leak
Offline-first: Internet is optional, not required
User control: You decide what to download and when to practice
No dark patterns: No tricks to keep you engaged longer than you want
Open architecture: Use standard web technologies, not proprietary formats

Future Plans

What’s being considered (no promises):

In-app lesson editor: Create and share your own lessons
Import/export tools: Backup your progress to a file
More card types: Conjugation practice, sentence building, etc.
Better progress insights: Charts and statistics about your learning
Community lesson sharing: Browse user-created lessons

What’s not planned:

User accounts or authentication
Cloud sync or backup
Social features or gamification
Paid subscriptions or premium tiers

Summary

Polyglotton is a straightforward tool for language practice. It doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. It makes specific trade-offs: privacy over convenience, offline capability over cloud features, user control over automated guidance.

If those trade-offs align with how you want to learn, it might be useful. If not, that’s fine too – there are plenty of other options out there.

The goal isn’t to be the most popular language app. It’s to be the right tool for people who want privacy, control, and simplicity.

Ready to try it? Visit polyglotton.com and import your first lesson. No signup required.