Want to learn a new language? For free? At your own pace? And within the confines of the four walls of your cosy dorm?
Well, well, well! Holler no more! DuoLingo is the answer to your queries.
Named ‘iPhone App of the Year 2013’ and ‘Google’s Best of the Best on Google Play ’13 and ‘14’, this app is revolutionizing learning like never before. Formed with the belief that everyone should have access to education of the highest quality and that too, for free, DuoLingo gives us an opportunity to make our teensy little breaks count by providing us the opportunity to learn a language from a pool of over 40 languages they offer currently. The module of many others is still being constructed.
The potency of this app can’t be questioned. According to an independent study by the University of South Carolina and City University of NY, 34 hours of DuoLingo have the efficacy equivalent to a university semester. Blimey! Who wants to go to classes anyway?
I have been using DuoLingo to learn Spanish for quite a while now and I must say, the experience has been exhilarating. The cool little app and the website work brilliantly and are extremely straightforward.
You can set up your own profile, set your own targets and work your way around the levels which are made of modules.
New vocabulary is introduced via images. Much of the learning happens in the form of rapid-fire quizzes, which switch frequently between testing speaking, listening, and writing.
High scores unlock further levels.
You can examine your progress regularly by taking the timed or untimed tests.
Well, there is no shortcut to learning after all! And IF you are ever in doubt about a question, you can join the discussion pertaining to it.
But we all know, it takes more than this to learn a language and therefore, it provides an ‘Immersion’ feature where we can translate real life text from the language we are learning into the language we already know. Quite fascinating, huh?
Since learning a language requires quotidian practice, it pesters you every day with its daily notification to remind you to be an obedient student and do your daily practice. Well, we need a strict teacher to keep us up and about!
Too much sugar? Well, let’s balance it with a pinch of salt. We all love DuoLingo. But you know what we would love more? If DuoLingo had an offline version! Yes, we live in a world where not everyone has internet connectivity at all place, at all times. So wouldn’t it be great if we were sitting in the Sahara Desert (I hope people have network problems there) and learning Arabic while chilling on a camel. That’s cool. Right?
DuoLingo people I hope you are hearing this.
Plainly put, DuoLingo is not a stand-alone language course, but it’s a remarkable supplement to a language learners toolbox. It’s viable and pleasing. Don’t forget to do the everyday homework, though. If your aim is to achieve real fluency and grace, remember to read, speak, and truly sink in the deep sea of the language that you are learning.
Adiós!
Image source : Google Images
