Do you like our owl? Six reasons to love Duolingo in 2021

My recently re-discovered ambition to learn another language led me back to Portuguese. This meant that I was able to download Duolingo again, set up a new account, and reacquaint myself with the mighty Owl. I’ve been away for long enough to be surprised by how Duo’s changed. Learning designers and language publishers, pay attention: is the future of language learning finally here?

0. You’ve come a long way, Duo

My first reviews of Duolingo go all the way back to its 2012 invitation-only beta. I liked it back then, but it’s fair to say that the 2012 Duolingo was a completely different type of…owl.

What started out as a quirky language learning idea (learn a language by translating texts online) and an ambitious learning model (Duolingo’s initial hopes were to make money by superseding translation agencies) has now solidified into the app many people know and love.

Here, in no particular order, are six reasons why it was so easy for me to settle joyfully into my language learning habit.

1. Dark mode

I discovered dark mode when my battery was low, and a day later – it was available even when my phone was fully charged. I am not a big fan of screen glare and somehow I find dark backgrounds more conducive to focus. Duo’s got me there – the app works just as well, and dark mode helps me stay glued to the screen for longer.

2. Animated characters

This is a small addition, but a valuable one. Most of the screens now present new activities in the context of an animated exchange. A “person” speaks the words, in the form of a speech bubble on the screen. I put the “person” in quote marks – my Portuguese features a bear, too. 🙂

The characters give you some nice context – the words aren’t just floating on the screen any more. They encourage you with little animations, celebrating when you get something right, wincing when you make a mistake.

The nice thing about it is how diverse the characters are. I mentioned a bear – I think the artists made sure to include many genders, ages, nationalities, and body sizes in the mix. It’s nice and sets the context for another series of decisions – more on this later.

3. Leagues

Oh dear. It was such a simple trick. I didn’t expect this to work so well.

Duolingo started me out in “Bronze League”, I think. I did well, and advanced to the “Silver League” when the week was through. This felt nice. The next week’s leaderboard was more challenging – I found that my daily efforts were still good, though, and when Monday rolled around again, I found myself in the Gold League. Go me!

Things are brutal in the Gold League, though. Only the top 10 advance to the next one (it’s “Sapphire”, in case you’re wondering), and I’m nowhere near. Other people’s lives seem to be perpetually revolving around hanging out with the Owl. Just as I’m writing these words, I’m getting tiny pangs of conscience about falling out of the top 15.

I don’t even know my other league competitors. It doesn’t matter. I must, I simply must, at least remain in the Gold League this week (yes, relegation is also a thing…) – and maybe clear my decks and mount a promotion-battle-worthy attack starting next Monday.

Well done, Duolingo. Anyone who’s ever obsessed about their team’s progress in any league table will probably find this gamifying feature addictive.

4. Podcasts

This doesn’t work for every language – Portuguese doesn’t yet seem to have one. But it looks like for the most popular languages, Duolingo made the decision to provide some nice podcasts. You’ll find them for French, Spanish, and German so far (correct me if I’m missing anything).

They are reminiscent of some of Deutsche Welle’s finest work for me: short, interesting stories about news or culture from relevant countries. The language you’re trying to learn is mixed with English – narrators are there to provide explanation, context, and to move things along.

If you’d rather read and interact, though, then the next feature is equally well thought-out.

5. Stories

Again, I’m not sure whether they exist for every language – but this time, Portuguese has its own set, and I’m well pleased with it. These are short stories with a dialogue and several interactive activities.

For anyone who’s ever used graded readers, this concept is obvious: using languages in rich, personal contexts beats having to learn them from dry definitions or rote repetition. For this, the Duolingo stories serve as a great source of variety and as real-ish-life language models. The voices which speak the dialogues are no longer automated, as in the regular activities. It is also nice that completing a story gives you experience points, just as practice does.

There is one more aspect of the stories, though, which contributes to the final, perhaps most important point about why I now admire Duolingo so much.

6. The Goodness

There was a great SNL skit some years ago which made cringe-worthy fun of how (and why) people chose to learn languages. I watched and laughed and died a little inside.

It’s 2021 and I’m happy to say that Duolingo is making small owl-sized steps toward a better, more wholesome way of learning and teaching a language. The choices and solutions described above all help to create a context in which diversity and positivity can happen.

The animated characters of all genders can (and do) speak of their boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives. The podcasts mention many countries, cultures and regions which speak the language – no longer focusing only on the metropolises. The stories speak of a lady going on a honeymoon with her wife, and of a girl who works as a car mechanic.

It’s not much. But it’s not nothing. And to create a coherent, friendly, supportive and diverse learning landscape like that – one that welcomes all and tries not to bore anyone – is a refreshing sight.

7. Conclusion: it’s 2021, do you know where your owl is?

If you’ve been staying away from Duo, now’s the time to get back. The app is still free (you either pay for the Premium version or you stick with the ads, which are still plentiful). But it’s all grown up; it knows what it is now, and knows what it wants to be.

It’s exciting to see language learning given such a wholesome treatment. Purists will still debate whether this is actual “learning”, but I still think these are early days for learning technologies in general. Duolingo’s come a long way since 2012. I can’t wait to see what it does next.

(Photo by Pete Nuij on Unsplash)