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I did battle with the Duolingo dragon today. My German comprehension continues to improve, which pleases me greatly. If I didn't have prior experience in the language, however, it would be a different matter entirely because some of the purported correct translations are awkward or outright wrong, as experienced and native speakers admit in the discussion fora. Since I have a few years' study with trained teachers under my belt, I can usually spot the bullshit, but a newbie would be utterly misled.
Don't get me started on some of the stupefyingly ludicrous translations of Spanish sentences, oh, my God. Native speaker frequently have to assure frustrated users that they aren't losing their minds or the ability to read; it's just Duolingo's algorithm being written by a gum-smacking simpleton. Of course, then the white knights in starchy britches rush in to remind us that it's a free service run by noble volunteers, and how dare we criticize it or point out flaws because free, dammit.
Well, it's free, and that's wonderful and terribly convenient for the broke-ass many, but it's also wrong, and that's a disservice to both the language and those who would learn it.
Don't get me started on some of the stupefyingly ludicrous translations of Spanish sentences, oh, my God. Native speaker frequently have to assure frustrated users that they aren't losing their minds or the ability to read; it's just Duolingo's algorithm being written by a gum-smacking simpleton. Of course, then the white knights in starchy britches rush in to remind us that it's a free service run by noble volunteers, and how dare we criticize it or point out flaws because free, dammit.
Well, it's free, and that's wonderful and terribly convenient for the broke-ass many, but it's also wrong, and that's a disservice to both the language and those who would learn it.
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