Language can be hard. Duolingo, a language-learning app available for free on iOS, Web and Android, takes the pain and tedium out of language learning. It repurposes the old and worn textbook and flashcard techniques in what feels like a fun, distracting iPhone game.
You start with the basics: “The man eats.” “Hello, how are you?” “The boy drinks milk.” As you level up from completing varying varieties of translations, the program unlocks new, themed stages like Food, Animals, Phrases and Prepositions.
Each stage introduces a few new words and grammatical concepts while keeping you sharp with content from previous levels. Pass each of the dozen or so challenges in each lesson and the next one unlocks. Completing all three lessons passes you for the stage.
The program works with an RPG-like progression, granting you levels as you strengthen your skills and docking from one of four “lives” if you make a mistake. Losing all four hearts means you restart the lesson, and any extra hearts you own after completion will translate into bonus points for leveling.
If Duolingo recognizes you struggling with a certain word or grammar structure, it periodically revisits this hiccup until you get a better handle on it. And if you haven’t played in a while, you can earn extra points to unlock levels more quickly by revisiting old stages and strengthening your skill.
In addition to "streaks" based on the number of consecutive days you play, stats that compare your scoring to friends who also own the app, and strength bars that indicate a player's retention of words and phrases -- requiring infrequent updating to ensure memorization -- Duolingo also simultaneously translates websites and online documents on behalf of the players' advancements.
What sets Duolingo apart from traditional language acquisition techniques and softwares is its ability to tether all its complexities and memory algorithms to an approachable, rewarding, and self-sufficient format. You nearly forget you’re learning a language while you work toward unlocking the next stage, fearful for your dwindling hearts or boastful for the flawless run.
Cameron Walker, Wright State Freshman, says he’s been using the game as an additional resource to help him round-out his exposure to the French class he’s required to take for his major.
“I’m learning more complicated stuff from my textbook and class during the day, and when I’m settled down in the evening I can chip away at French using Duolingo,” Walker said. “It asks me to repeat aloud words in French, so I get a better grip with the sounds. It keeps having me use the word ‘food’ in sentences, so I eventually know that word by heart. It hardly feels like work.”
As of January of this year, the program has accrued nearly 13 million active users.
Duolingo currently offers eight languages for English speakers, including German, Italian, Spanish, Danish and Irish, as well as American English for those unfamiliar.
