Bilingual and busy: learning a new language on the fly

Even if you don’t make New Year’s resolutions, you probably have a pretty good sense of what you would like to improve in your life.

At the top of many lists, along with eating more legumes and the always-dreamy pursuit of a pilot’s license, is learning a second, third or even fourth language – whether to expand professional development opportunities, to converse with a loved one or even just to be able to communicate at the perfect patisserie in the heart of Paris. Some studies have even shown that the brains of bilingual or multilingual people are different, and that knowing multiple languages has certain overall cognitive benefits.

But learning a new language – whether through a community college course, Alliance Francaise, formal language school or Rosetta Stone – can also be notoriously pricey, often running into the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Fortunately, a new range of informal and less expensive options are emerging online.

Digital discount

One of the most popular, Duolingo, is an app that offers a range of game-ified French. Every day, users can do a very manageable 15-20 minutes of exercises to build on new or existing knowledge and build new vocabulary and grammar through both written and spoken exercises. To many, the app feels more like a game than like homework. And best of all, it’s completely free.

In addition to Duolingo, there are Internet “pen pal” services that match two people who want to learn the other’s language. Freedom Surfer’s NiceTalk encourages language teachers from around the world to connect with potential students. And a new service in Lebanon is pairing Syrian refugees with online students who want to learn or practice their Arabic.

There are potential downsides, of course. Many of these “teachers” are not properly accredited to teach a language. So it’s probably not the ideal venue for anyone who wants to learn to write in a foreign language or who’s a stickler for the rules of proper grammar.

But these services can be a great option for professionals who simply want to learn or practice conversational abilities in a foreign language - and for a much cheaper price than most conventional classes. They can also be a great option for students with inflexible or busy schedules, who want to be able to cram in even 20 minutes of learning while sitting on the couch or riding the bus.

In-app versus in class

For Jose, a writer based in Toronto, learning Portuguese through Duolingo is an attempt to improve communications with extended family. “I have family members in Portugal that I'd like to be able to speak with beyond the smattering of broken Portuguese I've picked up over the years,” he says. “You can only say ‘Hi!’ and ‘I love you!’ so many times without the conversation feeling... weird.”

In addition to the appealing cost savings, Jose finds Duolingo both more fun and convenient than conventional language classes. “I have a fondness for the little touches of absurd humour in the content and design, delightfully odd sentences, and the illustrations.”

Jeremy Axon, who also lives in Toronto, recently started learning Mandarin when his daughter took up the language at her elementary school. “I wanted a way to engage with her in a language we both are learning,” he says. He decided to use Mango, software focused on building practical conversation tools, because it’s free, available through the Toronto Public Library system, and enables him to learn at his own pace. The program also allows users to compare their pronunciation to that of a native speaker with audio replay and visual comparisons of waveforms – ideal for a tonal language. He has yet to find any drawbacks, and his focus on conversational fluency means rapid gains.

Inexpensive, convenient…effective?

The biggest question is whether these new cheap and convenient tools can actually help with language comprehension and speaking ability. In an interview with the Guardian, Duolingo’s founder Luis von Ahn said “there’s an independent study that shows that if you use Duolingo for 34 hours you learn the same as you would in one university semester of language learning.” It’s worth noting that different students have different needs, and some may prefer more traditional pedagogy. Still, many of these new options are cheap or free, which lowers the risk of trying them out – especially when compared to pricey formal courses.

For Jose, after almost a year of near-daily Duolingo, the results have been mostly positive – if slow going. “The app says I'm currently at 45% fluency, but that feels like a stretch,” he says. “That's maybe the ballpark for my written comprehension, but when I converse with native speakers, I constantly have to ask them to slow down and explain words and phrases to me.” On the plus side, his vocabulary has improved and he now speaks Portuguese with greater confidence. “Overall, I feel like it's helping, and is laying a good foundation for continued learning.”