All posts tagged: Duolingo

Don’t stop at Duolingo, set realistic goals, balance skills: how to start learning a new language | Well actually

Don’t stop at Duolingo, set realistic goals, balance skills: how to start learning a new language | Well actually

Published by Sam Flores

If there’s one thing guaranteed to make a pop-culture character look cool and sophisticated, it’s being multilingual. Think James Bond, Yasmin from Industry or Scrooge McDuck. Learning a new language not only makes you look cool – it also allows you to familiarize yourself with another culture, connect with new people and enjoy a wider variety of art and media. And it’s good for your brain. Studies have shown that learning a new language is associated with improved concentration, stronger communication skills, a more powerful memory and greater creativity. But if you’re not an international man of mystery, an heiress or a billionaire duck, how does one go about it? While there are a number of ways to learn languages, there is one thing all polyglots – people who speak several languages – share, Dr Lydia Machova, a language mentor and former interpreter, said in a popular TED Talk: “We simply found ways to enjoy the language-learning process.” Below, experts share how you can start learning a new language. How do humans learn languages? To …

Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother | Wales

Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother | Wales

Published by Sam Flores

My maternal grandmother died 20 years ago. The funeral was held in a small Methodist chapel in the lush Conwy valley of north Wales. Her entire life – she had almost reached 100 – was spent in these hills. The drizzle that morning had slicked the trees and turned the slate of the chapel black. Our family, gathered under umbrellas, entered in order of seniority: Mum, now the family elder, with Dad on her arm, then my six aunts and uncles with their spouses, and finally the cousins, led by my brother Mark and me. The room was austere. White walls, sturdy wooden furniture, a plain cross on the wall. Our family squeezed into box pews in the centre of the chapel. A couple of older men among the crowd reminded me of my grandfather, who had died decades earlier: similar thatches of black hair; dark, weathered complexions; history-book faces. The funeral was conducted in Welsh. It was my grandmother’s first language. Mum’s too. I didn’t understand a word. I followed the congregation when they …

Duolingo CFO Matt Skaruppa to step down after nearly six years

Duolingo CFO Matt Skaruppa to step down after nearly six years

Published by Sam Flores

Jan 12 : Duolingo said on Monday that Chief Financial Officer Matt Skaruppa will step down after nearly six years in the role, marking the departure of a key executive who helped the language-learning app maker go public. During his tenure, the company saw consistent revenue growth and improving profitability as it converted strong user engagement into paid subscriptions and ramped up the use of artificial intelligence to personalize lessons and attract more users. Skaruppa, who joined Duolingo in early 2020, will remain CFO until February 23, before moving into an advisory role to support a leadership transition, the company said. Gillian Munson will succeed Skaruppa as CFO, the Pittsburgh-based company said. Munson has served on Duolingo’s board since 2019 and previously held senior finance roles at Vimeo and other technology companies. Separately, Duolingo announced preliminary results for the December quarter. Daily active users grew about 30 per cent, largely in line with expectations, according to Visible Alpha data. Bookings for the fourth-quarter were between $329.5 million and $335.5 million, marginally below estimates of $334.2 …

Duolingo Used iPhone’s Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Duolingo Used iPhone’s Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Published by skeptic

Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone’s Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple’s design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a “Super offer,” which is Duolingo’s paid subscription option. Apple’s guidelines for Live Activity state that the feature cannot be used to display ads or promotions. From Apple’s developer website: Don’t use a Live Activity to display ads or promotions. Live Activities help people stay informed about ongoing events and tasks, so it’s important to display only information that’s related to those events and tasks. Apps that violate Apple’s interface guidelines can be pulled from the App Store. We were not able to replicate the Live Activity ad, so it’s possible that Duolingo stopped displaying it after user complaints. Popular Stories No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest …