Social Media + Education = Win

Duo makes being green look easy.

I'm not sure how I missed hearing about Duolingo for so long. It's an absolutely free language learning app that was recently named 2013's iPhone App of the Year. (Actually, that's probably how I missed it, as it doesn't seem to have been as hyped on Android devices, which I faithfully utilize) As someone who struggled through both high school and college level Spanish classes -- and promptly forgot most of what I'd learned there -- I've often found myself wanting a way to build on what I'd started without having to shell out several hundred dollars on a program like Rosetta Stone. It appears, at least for now, that Duolingo is a suitable (and wallet friendly) alternative. 

It may even be better. 

TL;DR

Before I get into why I think this might be, it's worth noting my initial impression of the app (I also ought to mention that I started off using it on my PC). As immediately enamored by Duo -- the program's cute green mascot -- I was also put off by the program's request to link to my Google+ and Facebook accounts and then start drilling me for access to my information. I never like when apps do this, but such is the nature of the game. I conceded access and plodded forward.

Initially, I was greeted by this rather boring looking overview of the first Spanish lesson, Basics  1. The were a great deal of "Tips and Notes" that went on about nouns and gender, accent marks, conjugations, etc. What bothered me about this was A) it was a lot to read, and B) it felt like looking through one of my old textbooks. To be honest, I merely scanned it and continued. 

 

A minor glitch. 

As I stumbled through the first three opening questions, I noticed a minor glitch, which was a bit off-putting. At any point during the app's questions, you can mouse over (or tap on a tablet or phone) anything underlined and see a translation of that word. It's a bit like cheating, but it helps you through when you're feeling clueless. Unfortunately, on only the third question the game translated "Duo" to "Duo," though the answer it was looking for was "Dúo."

Heart bonus?
Where can I find the blue ring?

At this point you may be thinking that I'm just complaining about the app and wondering why I said it might be better than Rosetta Stone. And, you know what? That's fair. Thing is, I just wanted to get everything negative out of the way up front, because from this point forward Duolingo was a pleasure. 

The app is structured like a game, where correctly identified spoken words or translating phrases and identifying pictures become tasks that must be completed. Fail one and you lose a heart (which struck be as very reminiscent of the original Zelda). Lose all four and you have to start the level over. Complete the level successfully and you gain XP and levels, which increase our rank. You can also compete against friends and family to see who can score the highest and/or track each other's progress (hence the Facebook permissions, which I no longer minded). 

The community polices itself.

This was so much like  a game that a half hour went by without my really noticing -- I just wanted to get to the next level. This craving for advancement is what makes Duolingo effective as a game. That, from that half hour, I now know that la mujer come una manzana, not la mujer bebe una manzana, is what makes Duolingo effective as a language learning tool. 

But how could something so effective and entertaining be free and without ads? The answer is also what makes Duolingo a potentially potent vehicle for sharing information. 

Seth Stevenson, in an Independent article, explains the process: 

"It tricks you into working as an unpaid translation service. At the end of some lessons, Duolingo will ask you if you want to practise [sic] by translating a real-world document. Which will turn out to be, say, a BuzzFeed article. By melding together enough stabs at this task from high-level Duolingo users, the app can render a surprisingly accurate translation. Which is worth good money."

Break's over. Get to work.

This is how Duolingo pays for itself, by turning users into "unpaid, joyful labourers." While that's great for Duolingo co-founder Luis von Ahn and app users who have been promised that Duolingo will be free forever, it also has implications within the information environment. 

You see, not only is this "translation service" that Duolingo users are providing keeping the app free to use, but it's also facilitating the sharing of information that would otherwise not be able to bridge language barriers. Granted, Duolingo users are currently translating mostly Wikipedia and Buzzfeed articles, but von Ahn noted that there are more clients on the way. It's entirely possible that a cadre of language learners could be translating magazines, books and scholarly articles into any number of languages beyond the Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese instruction the app currently offers. 

Translate this. 

Further, by teaching languages to people, Duolingo is inadvertently expanding the amount of communication possible outside the boundaries of the app itself -- folks who couldn't talk to each other yesterday, will be able to tomorrow. Well, ideally. 

I realize I'm getting ahead of myself, and to say that this nifty little app is going to change the world is a gigantic leap. However, it's a start, and even if all Duolingo users do is translate Wikipedia articles on Virginia Woolf into Spanish for a whole new audience, something positive has been done and information has been shared. That, in and of itself, is huge. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go beat Spanish Level 2. 

References 

Stevenson, S. (2013, February 5). Duolingo: The future of language learning that puts a personal tutor in everyone’s pocket. The Independent. Retrieved  from http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/duolingo-the-future-of-language-learning-that-puts-a-tutor-in-your-pocket-9110192.html