Duolingo launches English learning course for Bangla speakers
Bangla becomes the 2nd Indic language to feature on the app, after Hindi
Duolingo – the world's most popular language learning app – on Thursday (18 August) has launched a new Indian language course on their platform allowing users to learn English from Bangla, for the first time ever.
Speakers of Bangla, the second most spoken language in India, can now learn English for free on the Duolingo app on iOS, Android and web.
This launch follows the success the brand witnessed after enabling Hindi speakers to learn English, making it the most popular course in India today, reads a media release.
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In fact, 40% of all learners on Duolingo in India are learning English from Hindi.
Along with displaying great pride in local heritage and traditions, Indians – who are largely multilingual – are constantly adding international languages to their portfolios.
The most popular of these languages are English, followed by Korean, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.
While the range of reasons to study a new language is diverse for Indian learners, professional and personal growth remain top motivators.
According to a recent study by the brand, this trend is observed across age groups as well as across metro and non-metro cities in India.
This falls in line with Duolingo's vision to create a language learning app that is free and fun for people to use, allowing them to benefit from economic and personal growth advantages. With the launch of the Bangla to English course, Duolingo intends to make this fun learning tool available to over 300 million Bangla speakers worldwide, including those in India and Bangladesh, the release adds.
The Duolingo app uses machine learning to identify the user's current level of proficiency. Training material that is gamified, interactive and fun is then provided based on present mastery of the language.
Commenting on the language launch, Country Marketing Manager, Duolingo India, Karandeep Singh Kapany said, "English can often be viewed as an intimidating language to learn. However, many fail to realise that Indian local languages are far more nuanced and complex, making English learning easier in comparison."
He also said, "India is one of the fastest growing markets for Duolingo and we foresee great potential to introduce even more regional languages like Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi. Hindi and Bangla are just the tip of the iceberg!"
