If the French are not the best at foreign languages, the solutions to better master them are numerous and also involve increasingly popular applications. But what are they really worth? Tech&Co did the test.
With more and more jobs requiring mastery of one or even several foreign languages, there are certain solutions to try to get by. The simplest is to take lessons, for example with a private teacher, whom you would have hired using your training account.
Language learning applications have also existed for several years, the best known of which are Duolingo and Babel. During this exam period, but also as we prepare for our vacations, these two applications are regularly highlighted on television or on social networks.
To find out if it should be paid some attention, Tech&Co embarked on a series of several weeks. As part of our test, in particular to give the available tools a bit of a challenge, we chose to learn German, in both cases starting at the bottom of the ladder, in order to understand how the different learning methods, and above all to see if, beyond English, the two platforms manage to get by – observation of German in the key.
Duolingo: the fun and free solution
A game more than learning
Very present on social networks, notably Tiktok, Duolingo is a free application that requires no subscription. What stands out from the first minutes in its company is that it is more of a game than an application. Its interface is very colorful, humor is very present, even in the icon or widget on the smartphone which changes depending on your actions.
In addition, Duolingo does not hesitate to bombard you with notifications throughout the day, sometimes to inform you that you have recovered lives, sometimes to tell you that you should do your lesson… Over a day complete, the number of notifications exceeds 20 if we prioritize lessons in the evening. Duolingo regularly plays this “spam” on social networks with its mascot – an adorable green bird.
The method works in an interesting way, in that it is done in stages with a specific theme. This ranges from the first words to find your way and ask for general elements (like food), up to classic conversational elements, such as negation, family members, grammar or even daily activities.
A truly free method?
Several exercises are possible and are generated according to your difficulties. Sometimes, you have to translate a given sentence into French, say it orally in German, translate a sentence into German… There are also short stories made up of dialogues, with a question/answer system at certain stages in order to see if we understand what it’s about, without forgetting the timed or more difficult challenges.
All these activities allow you to gain experience which allows you to progress in a ranking with different grades, as well as rewards such as gems.
Duolingo is free, and suffice to say, it is never really necessary to pay. But the temptation is great since you only have a limited number of lives (and therefore errors) per day. To do without it, there is a “Super” mode which consists of a subscription. The price per year is 94.99 euros alone, or 122.99 euros as a family.
However, if for an activity of ten minutes per day, the free version is enough, to move up to the highest grades, Super mode is essential. Especially since in addition to unlimited lives, this mode also has several learning sections linked to revisions in order to improve your pronunciation or understanding. Note also that the number of languages available is large, but not all of them offer lessons in French. In the case of Japanese, the lessons will be given to you in English.
What is Duolingo worth?
As for the quality of learning, not everything in German is as great as the tone that Duolingo uses (which speaks to you informally). Some French translations are too literal, others don’t necessarily mean something meaningful (“I don’t eat cat”), but it’s still OK to have a basis. Do you really learn to speak German? I might as well tell you: no.
The game side works and we come back to it, pushed both by the notifications and by the fun side of the method, but it will not allow you to speak the chosen language properly even after several months. It can nevertheless be a good basis for reintegrating certain linguistic precepts, but that’s all.
Babbel: seriousness on all levels
A very different method
Facing Duolingo, we find its main competitor, namely Babbel. The differences are visible at first glance: Babbel’s interface is much more austere and more serious than Duolingo. This is not a fault, quite the contrary, since the method is not the same.
Concretely, on Babbel, no mascot, no colorful interface, but something which shows more that we are not there to have fun but to learn. One of the main advantages of Babbel turns out to be the way in which we will learn German, in this case, we will work more on conjugation, by completing sentences while having audio available each time. This is also the case with the competitor, but here, the idea is more to get us into the head of the terms so that we no longer have any difficulties later.
Each day, you can choose to work on a particular aspect: listening, language, or through a few small games (like memory cards with phrases to remember). The method both writes the sentence literally but also in a more conversational way. Some lessons will also invite us to learn the pronunciation of certain letters or words in the language we are reviewing, each time with a clear explanation.
Teachers available by video
You also have a complete study plan to direct you to the right lessons depending on your level, everything can also be downloaded and used offline.
But what sets Babbel apart from the rest is that it also offers online and video lessons with teachers who can be booked to participate with other people. There are themes and levels. If you are not satisfied, podcasts are available, even if these already require you to have a good level.
Unlike Duolingo, however, Babbel is not free. The first lessons are, but you have to quickly take out the bank card. In this case, it costs 83.99 euros per year and per language, with also plans for six and three months. If you want to contact a teacher directly, the prices skyrocket: from 415.83 euros per year.
Furthermore, not all languages are available, but those offered all have lessons in French and associated teachers.
What is Babbel worth?
In the end, Babbel appears to be much more useful as a learning method, but also arguably less motivating. The fault, probably, is a more serious interface. This design choice is double-edged. But beyond the user experience, we also see elements that allow you to really understand and speak the language after a long learning session.
Here again, like Duolingo, it is not enough, but the contribution of teachers available for courses is a real plus, if only to work on specific things and thus get closer to a visit to the country concerned. As long as you pay the price.
Conclusion
Whether it’s Duolingo or Babbel, language learning applications ultimately serve more as a means of reviewing what you’ve learned or regaining control. Neither application is really designed to speak the language completely, whether for chatting with friends or in a professional environment.
Going abroad for a while or having a private teacher who can personally guide you on things will always be preferable when you are starting from almost zero. However, if you had to choose, Babbel turns out to be the most notable application for having a low level and thus navigating familiar territory when you start to seriously want to learn a language.
