How to Use Gemini to Create a Bilingual Glossary
One of the easiest things you can do with an AI tool like Gemini is create a bilingual glossary. In just a few seconds, you can create a list with the target language, the English word, a definition or sample sentence, and even a gap-fill sentence that you can use later for activities. You can do this for Japanese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, or almost any other language. I'm using Gemini here, but you could do the same thing with ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or another AI tool.
The key is to give the AI a simple prompt explaining exactly what you want. For example, you could ask it to create a bilingual glossary of 25 common adjectives for beginners. Then tell it what you want in each column: the Spanish word, the English word, a simple example sentence, and the same sentence with the target word removed to create a gap fill. Once Gemini creates the table, you can copy it into a spreadsheet and use the data for all kinds of activities.
The basic process is very simple:
- Choose your vocabulary. Ask for something specific, such as 25 common adjectives, verbs, or useful phrases for beginners.
- Choose the target language. This could be Japanese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, or whatever language your students speak.
- Specify your columns. Ask for the target-language word, English word, definition or example sentence, and a gap-fill sentence.
- Generate the glossary. Paste your prompt into Gemini and let it create the table for you.
- Move it into a spreadsheet. Copy the table into Google Sheets or another spreadsheet so you can edit it and use the data for other activities.
You can also have the AI choose the vocabulary for you. For example, I took the text from a higher-level ELLLO lesson and asked Gemini to find 25 useful words and phrases from the text. It selected words such as gnaw, flail, and poke, created simple definitions, added example sentences, and provided Portuguese translations. This is especially useful because you don't have to go through a long text yourself and manually decide which words to include.
Once you have the glossary, you can reuse the same data in lots of ways. You could import the words into Quizlet and create flashcards, tests, and matching activities. You could also use the glossary to make your own puzzles in Google Sheets. For example, you can give students several clues—the translation, the first letter, a definition, and a gap-fill sentence—and have them guess the English word. The important thing is that AI can create the basic language data for you very quickly. From one simple prompt, you have material that you can reuse to create lots of different vocabulary activities.
