LanguageTool is a writing assistant that helps "correct or paraphrase texts across languages." But with multilingualism as its core selling point, can the paraphraser provide high-quality English suggestions?
Engram's primary focus is on elevating non-native speakers' English. As an AI-powered writing tool, Engram is committed to improving its users' English and ensuring that its tools provide only high-quality rewrites.
We decided to compare LanguageTool's paraphrases and Engram's outputs to answer our question about LanguageTool. Let's see who wins in these evaluations!
• We used three criteria: accuracy in meaning, naturalness, and appropriateness, to assess the quality of the outputs.
• We conducted a comparison between LanguageTool and Engram's paraphraser through two in-depth analyses.
• The first in-depth analysis evaluated LanguageTool's Standard tone and Engram's Standard Style.
• The second in-depth analysis assessed LanguageTool's Formal tone and Engram's Formal Style.
The TL;DR
Engram's sentences were preferred over those generated by LanguageTool, nine out of ten times. These numbers should be enough to convince you of which paraphraser is better.
If you are curious about how we came up with this number, keep reading and see our analysis of each paraphrased statement.
What is LanguageTool?
LanguageTool is an online writing assistant that helps users improve the quality and correctness of their writing in multiple languages. It provides a grammar checker and paraphraser on its website.
What is Engram?
Engram is an AI writing tool optimized to help non-native speakers level up their English. It has built many features, such as the grammar checker, paraphraser, and translator, to help everyone achieve their full potential through English.
Visit Engram to try out its features.
Best AI Paraphraser for Non-Native English Speakers: Grammarly, QuillBot, Paraphrasing Tool, Paraphraser.io, Wordtune, Engram (2023)
What is important when choosing between paraphrasing tools?
In the real world, whether it be in school or professional settings, your messages or ideas need to be communicated with clarity and impact.
A study found that 73% of employers seek candidates with strong written communication skills, but surprisingly, 40% of the Gen X population experience some form of miscommunication every week. This shows that the bare essentials of good writing are not even met. With this in mind, we evaluated the paraphrasers on three essential qualities of high-quality writing.
Criteria for grading
Before we started our evaluation, we defined "quality" based on three basic criteria: accuracy in meaning, naturalness, and appropriateness. By defining quality, we hoped to eliminate any subjectivity or variance in the results.
Natural-sounding: Does the phrase contain any grammatical errors? Is the phrase awkward?
*We will use "natural-sounding" and "fluent/fluency" interchangeably throughout the post.
Appropriateness: Is the phrase appropriate for a certain scenario and/or purpose?
In-depth analysis 1
LanguageTool's Standard vs. Engram's Standard
We used five sentences from Engram's data and inputted them into LanguageTool and Engram's Paraphraser.
For this evaluation, we used LanguageTool's Standard tone and Engram's Standard Style. We based "appropriateness" on whether the sentence could be used in everyday conversations.
LanguageTool
Engram
Sentence-by-sentence analysis
1. Engram
LanguageTool's suggestion is not wrong, but Engram's output is better. The phrase "are very good" is not as sophisticated as the phrase "taste delicious." "Taste" and "delicious" are primarily used in the context of food, while the descriptor "good" can be used for more generic purposes.
2. Engram.
LanguageTool combines the phrase "measure fit" with the rest of the sentence, whereas previously it was a standalone phrase. This changes the meaning of the sentence. In addition, the phrase "measure fit" can be awkward in this context due to its ambiguous meaning.
Engram's sentence did not capture the meaning 100%, because recruitment and hiring have slightly different meanings. However, most people would not notice this difference. Engram also aptly changed the awkward phrase "measure fit" to the more straightforward "assessed the suitability."
3. Engram
Although LanguageTool's output satisfied all three criteria, Engram's sentence was the better pick, due to the sentence's appropriateness. Engram's sentence, "I saw everyone making an effort," is more appropriate for everyday discourse.
4. Engram
LanguageTool's sentence changes the subject so that the emphasis is on the "faces," but it should be on the people. It is awkward to denote an emotion, happiness, to a face.
On the other hand, Engram characterizes "happiness" with the pronoun "they."
5. Engram
LanguageTool's sentence fulfills all criteria, but Engram's sentence is more appropriate and direct. "Who did she marry?" is more frequently used in everyday conversations.
Verdict
Engram's five sentences were higher quality than LanguageTool's five sentences.
Each of LanguageTool's sentences did not satisfy one of the three criteria. However, appropriateness was a factor that was usually the deciding factor in selecting Engram's sentence as the better sentence.
In-depth analysis 2
LanguageTool's Formal vs. Engram's Formal
For this analysis, we used five sentences from Engram's data and inputted them into LanguageTool and Engram's Paraphraser.
For this evaluation, we used LanguageTool's Formal tone and Engram's Formal Style. Thus, we graded the appropriateness on whether the sentence can be used in everyday conversations.
LanguageTool
Engram
Sentence-by-sentence analysis
1. Engram
LanguageTool's sentence is awkward because most people do not describe the taste of apples as "flavor." Although Engram's sentence can be viewed as too simple, it is not awkward.
2. Engram
LanguageTool adds the word "then," which changes the meaning of the previous sentence slightly. The "measure fit" and the usage of the "recruitment site" become sequential rather than two separate ideas occurring at similar times. LanguageTool's sentence also does not change the awkward phrase "measure the fit."
Engram, again, wins in this comparison as it changes the phrase "measure the fit" to "assessed suitability"; the sentence remains unchanged in meaning.
3. Engram
"Each individual" and "everyone" have different meanings.
LanguageTool's sentence has no grammatical errors, but due to the change in subject, Engram's sentence wins, again.
4. LanguageTool
LanguageTool's sentence wins in this evaluation, as even though Engram's sentence might seem more formal, it can also sound awkward in certain situations. Both of them are grammatically correct.
5. Engram
LanguageTool's sentence fulfills all three criteria, but Engram's sentence "with whom was she married" is more appropriate for formal occasions.
Verdict
Overall, Engram won. LanguageTool changed certain words that caused nuanced differences in meaning, while Engram kept the meaning intact for all of its sentences.
We do have to give credit to one of LanguageTool's sentences because the phrase was used more frequently, even on formal occasions, compared to Engram's sentence.
LanguageTool vs. Engram: the takeaway
From these analyses, we can see that LanguageTool and Engram are both good tools to use, but Engram is, hands down, the better tool. Engram won nine out of ten times, and only one of its sentences had a meaning change, which most people would not be able to detect.
Overall, LanguageTool faced issues in one of the three criteria for nine of its ten sentences, making it difficult to determine a trend of errors in its outputs. With this insight, one should practice caution when using LanguageTool.
Other factors to consider
Features
LanguageTool's paraphraser only has three tones, whereas Engram's paraphraser has 7 Styles. Engram's PREMIUM version also provides unlimited access to its Grammar Checker, Paraphraser and Translator. So, click the button below to elevate your English, so that you can reach your full potential.
User interface
When you input a specific phrase into LanguageTool, you will receive an output. That's it; there are no markings of where the changes occurred.
Engram enables you to learn from your mistakes.In the input and output, Engram's paraphraser underlines the changes.
As a user of a writing assistant tool, you should not be satisfied with the results. You should also learn from the experience.
Data privacy
As LanguageTool first started out as an open-source project, there is a lot of scrutiny regarding its privacy policy on various platforms. On the other hand, Engram has a Privacy Mode, which you can turn on and off in your PREMIUM settings. Your data should be safeguarded, as it is, rightfully, yours.
References:
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