Duolingo is the ultimate travel hack to learn a language

Duolingo makes learning a second language fun, and addictive.

When I was living in London at the turn of the century I took weekly Spanish lessons in an attempt to learn the language. And failed. An hour a week in class didn’t work, and when one man in Spain gave me a withering look and said “Wouldn’t it be easier if we spoke English?” part of me wondered if that meant for the rest of my life.

Flash-forward to 2022 and my aptitude for languages may not have improved but my interest in neuroplasticity has, and if learning a language can help rewire my brain I say si!

After signing up for Spanish on Duolingo I quickly discover the app’s gamification is just what I need to keep me coming back. Duolingo keeps track of daily streaks and uses XP (experience points) to determine your position on leaderboards and in leagues. The same dopamine hits that had me hooked on Donkey Kong and Crash Bandicoot are now pinging as I move from Bronze up to Diamond League and on to win the Diamond Tournament.

These days I usually do a daily lesson or two, but spring into action to do more to stay in the Diamond league (80 weeks so far) and maintain my friends streak (60 and counting). I’m in the top one per cent of learners but that’s based on XP points, not proficiency. I may be good at playing the game, but I’m still a long way off having a conversation beyond the barest of basics in another language.

Some argue that leagues are a distraction, with one Reddit thread sharing tips on how to switch to private mode to opt out. Of course the best way to learn is to be immersed in the culture and surrounded by the language. And having conversations is also much better than simply doing lessons.

Last year Duolingo introduced Duolingo Max, which includes role-play conversations with AI. I know I’d learn a lot faster but at $269.99 a year, for now I’m sticking with my $129.99 Super Duolingo plan (you can also play for free with ads and limited “hearts” for mistakes).

Most people looked happy when I tried a few Vietnamese words.

When I switched to Vietnamese a few weeks before a trip to the Mekong I only knew 77 words when I got on the plane. But I knew 77 words! The thrill of understanding a few words on the Vietnam Airlines announcements was real. And when our Vietnamese cruise director did a double take at my chào buoi sáng (good morning) and said I had perfect pronunciation I grinned into my breakfast noodles.

That said, the front desk team may have been thinking “wouldn’t it be easier if we spoke English?” when I used the Vietnamese words for Australian passport, but most people looked happy when I tried a few Vietnamese words. Back in Australia I was also able to drop a few words into a banh mi order.

Duolingo currently teaches 42 languages. While some such as Spanish, French and Italian are no surprise, I like the way they’re supporting endangered languages including Hawaiian, Gaelic and Navajo. And if you really want to turn heads at a Comic Con you can also learn Klingon and High Valyrian.

While English remains the number one language people learn around the world, the 2023 Duolingo Language Report shares some interesting trends, including that Korean overtook Italian as the sixth most-studied language, and 37 per cent of new learners of Ukrainian do it to show solidarity and connect.

Ahead of a trip to Japan in November, I have started to watch Japanese TV shows to get used to the way characters say the few words I know.

In Duo’s world Gen Z is driving the growth of popular Asian languages, making up 86 per cent of people studying Japanese and 76 per cent of Chinese learners.

Ahead of a trip to Japan in November I’m joining the Gen Zs and have started to watch Japanese TV shows to get used to the way non-Duolingo characters say the few words I know. While I watch in the original language with subtitles, another tip is to watch shows with English audio and subtitles in the language you’re learning.

When I watch a show in another language I’m quickly reminded of how little I know. But then my ear picks up a word before it appears in the subtitles and ping! Hello, dopamine.

Who knows how many Japanese words I’ll know when I board my JAL flight next month? But I can happily introduce myself, say “nice to meet you” and politely order some things in Japanese. And that’s a pretty great place to start.

Originally published as Duolingo is the ultimate travel hack to learn a language