App Review: Duolingo
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With a growing number of bilinguals in the world, there is no better time than now to start learning a new language. The language learning resources available are numerous and often free, which means that there will be a method out there that will suit your unique learning style. As a linguist, I have used many of the books, courses, websites and apps and I have began to formulate a list of my favourites. Near the top of the list is an app and website called Duolingo.
Duolingo is an effective and simple way to learn a language and the app offers a full range of languages including less mainstream languages like Catalan, Greek and Klingon. This differs from the usual apps that usually only offer French, Spanish and Italian.
The way in which it works is easy: you complete game-like tests that repeat words at you again and again until they’re in your head. With the whole ‘one-word-at-a-time’ technique, you find yourself able to pick up your chosen language very quickly and since the app puts emphasis on speaking and listening, it is streets ahead of textbook learning.
The only aspect I’d like to improve would be the translation exercises where you find yourself having to translate sentences such as “the duck eats cake” rather than more useful expressions like “the train station is around the corner”.
That being said, if you want a clear and concise way to learn a language, Duolingo is definitely worth a download.