Just because something is a game with fake internet points doesn’t mean it’s effective. Instead of focusing on learning a new language, you end up procrastinating towards your goals with a platform that only spins your wheels. Many people think Duolingo works because it uses gamification to make language learning “fun.” But this can be a bit misleading. While harder at first, it’s a far more effective strategy if you want to speak fluently. Instead, you should focus on thinking and speaking IN that language. Anyone who speaks a foreign language will tell you that you waste time going back and forth between your language and the target language in your mind. And translation (the core of its platform) is already widely known to be an ineffective way to learn a language. In fact, it’s just as bad as the education system Von Ahn criticizes.ĭuolingo outsources its translation services, allowing for awkward sentences to slip in undetected. We know far more about language learning, cognition, and memory now than we did when these systems were first invented, and yet, schools have not done much to change their approach to teaching foreign languages. It’s kind of like learning the words to your new favorite song!.Spaced out over time, so you absorb your new language organically.Presented in a natural, everyday context.It teaches you useful words and phrases.Psst! Did you know we have a language learning app?

In fact, I think it does more harm than good.

As a language activist who values the appreciation, preservation, and use of multiple languages, I feel that Duolingo doesn’t work. That’s not only inaccurate, but it can also put them off to learning a language entirely. Instead, people think that using Duolingo will lead them to fluency. It’s better than wasting time on social media or staring off into the distance at the DMV, waiting for your number to be called. In a perfect world, people would use Duolingo in passing to brush up on their language learning in their spare moments. I will try to explain why its shortcomings can ultimately ruin your language learning journey. If you’re like one of the many people wondering, “Does Duolingo work?” then keep reading. I feel obligated to push back against Duolingo and other “translation as language learning” programs because I think there are far better ways to spend one’s time.

Complete disclosure: I have my own language learning program that competes with Duolingo.

Student in spanish duolingo