Your education system is just going to be a bunch of different mobile apps with microtransactions in five years isn’t it
Also, recommend an app for practicing writing kanji, I got a stylus and everything
That’s the blue states, red states will have salafist madrassas with teachers made out of ham
Duolingo is such a piece of techbro garbage. It recycles the addictive game mechanics from other apps and makes the app maximise ‘engagement’, rather than helping people learn anything. It’s failed every independent attempt at validation.
It’s a nice tool if you already know how to learn a language or you’ve got a goal to fulfil. Of course it’s not enough on its own, but it makes the first few months on a language much easier and faster than without.
I’ve used it most successfully for Indonesian because I had both things: I did 30 minutes of Duolingo every single day for four months and it got me to the point that I could practice with people on hellotalk. Two months later I went to Indonesia to hitchhike and I could communicate surprisingly well.
Language exchange chat app with built in translation/transliteration tools. Also a facebook-esque blogging aspect where you can ask for translations or whatever. I use it for Chinese and there is no shortage of people wanting a bilingual chat. Probably similar with other languages.
Unlimited translations and stuff are locked behind a paywall, but it’s a useful app if you have a groundwork in the language already and want to practice.
B-b-b-but that’s not what the owl tells me on the splash screens between the ads :surprised-pika:
OMG BILLY BOB FROM KANSAS HAS TAKEN YOUR #2 SPOT IN THIS WEEK’S SILVER LEAGUE RANKINGS, TAKE A LESSON RIGHT NOW TO GET YOUR TREASURE CHEST BACK
RUSH THROUGH THIS QUIZ AS FAST AS POSSIBLE TO GET MORE XP
I stopped using it when I realized I’m using it more like a Chinese room AI who just pick the options that make nice sounds.
Way more when you consider that nobody actually learns a foreign language in American high schools, you take 1-2 years of a Spanish class and come out knowing how to say library and bathroom and a few other random words, just a huge joke just like the rest of the education system
Where do schools actually succeed at teaching foreign languages? I guessing kids in the first world are good at learning English because they want to play English language games and watch tv shows and movies.
Sure, I tried learning japanese from a russian study book that started with japanese words for worker, Lenin and communism, but it didn’t stick. On the other hand is you travel through europe most young people understand english at least at some level.
duolingo is good if you already know the language and need to refresh (source: my mom learning spanish on the site) but starting from scratch on it is awful. i hate the gamified aspects, but i guess thats the only way to get boomers to learn
i hate the gamified aspects, but i guess thats the only way to get boomers to
learnpay money to keep participating
The annoying thing about Duolingo is that it just exists to bully you into subscribing. The usefulness is tangential to haranguing you to pay them.
There is a subscription service in Duolingo? It’s totally free for me afaik
Alternatively, it’s not bad for learning the touristy version of a language where you mostly just need to be able to ask where the toilet is and how much the bill is.
It does so very little to teach you actual grammar though, so God help you if the person you’re talking to doesn’t respond with the exact stock phrase you were expecting.
this is very fair. it teaches you words and contexts, but not grammar, so you really need to just memorize stock phrases. not the worst if you’re spending a week in europe or something similar, but if you really need to converse with people for important topics, you should probably look elsewhere
not really surprising though is it, given that there are ~300 million people in the US and however many of those being children who can be currently learning a language in public school, vs ~7.5 billion people in the world who can be using the app
The fact specifies Americans. There aren’t over a billion Americans (cope and seethe Matt Yg).
