Duolingo to Pause Updates on Welsh Course
Welsh language enthusiasts are expressing frustration as Duolingo, the popular language learning app, has decided to "pause" updates to its Welsh course from November 2023. This follows the company’s decision to allocate its resources towards courses with higher demand such as Spanish, French, and German, despite the company's acknowledgment in 2020 that Welsh was the fastest-growing language in the UK.
A petition has been created that urges First Minister Mark Drakeford to persuade Duolingo to reconsider. The petition's creator expressed the hope that their efforts would convince Duolingo to maintain an active Welsh curriculum to achieve functional fluency.
While the Welsh course will no longer receive updates, it will remain available for learners. Duolingo's decision affects a substantial user base, with over two million people having started learning Welsh on the platform since launch. There are currently 659,000 active Welsh learners on the app.
Duolingo's decision has also raised concerns among educators and advocates for the Welsh language. Richard Morse, a language tutor who contributed to the course, has called for an extension to allow the National Centre for Learning Welsh to complete its work on the course.
Welsh government officials are not taking this news lightly. Education and Welsh Language Minister Jeremy Miles plans to write to Duolingo, to ask how the development of the course can continue to be supported with the assistance of the National Centre for Learning Welsh. The Welsh government aims to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050, making resources like Duolingo valuable tools on their language-learning journey.
