DUOLINGO: THE LANGUAGE-GAMING CONVERSION

Learning a language made fun and free!

This application combines the tough task of learning a language with a game. It becomes addictive because not only do you level up at certain times; you also earn points that unlock bonus rounds. The neat thing about this program is that it is not only a website, but also exists in application form for iOS and Android, making it easy to learn on the go!

How it all began

In 2009 the creator of reCAPTCHA, Luis von Ahn, came up with the idea to launch a game that combined teaching its users a foreign language and classic gamification. In 2012, with the help of co-founder Severin Hacker, the language-learning platform was launched.

Much like his first creation, the native Guatemalan wanted to ensure that there was also a purpose behind the game; Duolingo helps translate simple phrases in documents.

“By using technology and a little bit of fun, you can harness tiny bits of time and energy from people all around the world and make them collectively useful” (Business Insider, 2014).

Clever business plan

Coming from a poor country where people wanted to learn English, but couldn’t seem to afford is, von Ahn vowed to keep Duolingo free for its users. This means that he had to come up with another tactic to keep the program, not only up and running, but also to produce revenue. To do so Duolingo offers the option to practice language skills by “immersion”, which boils down to users translating actual documents on the Web.

This application of crowdfunding principles turns our mindless Internet activities into something productive. The documents come from companies such as CNN and Buzzfeed that pay Duolingo to translate them.

How it works:

• Documents are added to Duolingo for translation
• A user applies for an 'upload account'
• Multiple users work on translating the same document
• Users can then up/down vote translations
• A final translation is sent to the company

“For the users, it's another language-learning tool; for Duolingo, it's a way of generating hundreds of thousands of dollars” (Business Insider, 2014).

Since 2015, Duolingo has shifted gears in their business model and will focus future endeavors on language certification as a revenue source because they didn’t want to turn into a translation business. The platform also boasts over $83.3 million from venture capitalists, private investors and other investment firms that hold a stake in Duolingo (Techcrunch, 2015).

Products

Language Courses

There are 20 languages offered to native English speakers and 9 in development. For non-native English speakers there are a handful of other language courses offered.

Languages are taught through written and oral exercises. When a lesson is completed users earn points, and validate the lesson when they reach 10 points. It is also possible to loose a life if the lesson cannot be completed successfully. Skills are considered “learned” when the user completes all the lessons associated with that skill.

There is also the possibility to unlock bonus skills with lingots (see section about currency). Some of the bonus skills include themes such as ‘Flirting’, ‘Idioms’ and ‘Proverbs’.

All data is saved to the program so that Duolingo keeps a record of where users struggle and what sorts of mistakes they make in order to cater more precisely to specific needs and make sure languages stay fresh in the users memory.

Currency

The currency of Duolingo is called a lingot. These are earned by finishing a skill, leveling up, playing for a week straight or by uploading documents to the Immersion section. With your lingots you can buy power-ups, practice or bonus skills, and in the mobile version of the application you van even customize the appearance of the Duolingo mascot, which is by default a green owl.

Test Center

To be recognized as speaking a language one needs to be certified. Most often this certification happens by taking a standardized test. Those tests tend to cost a lot of money.

So what did Duolingo do? On July 22, 2014 Duolingo Test Center was launched. Making it possible to take the test in the comfort of your own home for the price of $20. The test can be accessed through the website or the mobile application and will be graded within 48 hours.
According to a study conducted by University of Pittsburgh, there is a substantial correlation between the scores on Duolingo Test Center and TOEFL iBT.

“34 hours on Duolingo teaches the equivalent of one semester of a college language course” (von Ahn).

This makes it clear why this new media form is and will stay free. There are endless alternatives to monetizing this platform. This democratisation of language-learning should be for individual worldwide.

Let’s keep learning fun and free!