The popular language learning app, Duolingo, has announced that it will be “pausing” its Welsh course and will no longer provide updates for it starting at the end of this month.
This decision contradicts the company’s earlier statement in 2020, where it claimed that Welsh was “the fastest growing language in the UK”
, according to a report by the BBC..
Duolingo justified its decision by stating that it intends to dedicate its resources to courses that have higher user demand.
However, users who fear that the Welsh course will no longer progress have launched a petition urging First Minister Mark Drakeford to persuade Duolingo to reconsider.
The petition’s creator wrote, “We hope that our petition would move you to persuade Duolingo to continue to have a vibrant Welsh curriculum that would allow us to achieve a functional fluency.”
Duolingo revealed that it will pause updates when the National Centre for Learning Welsh stops creating material in November.
Instead, the company plans to focus on more popular languages such as Spanish, French, and German.
A spokesman for Duolingo stated that the Welsh course, which is already one of their most comprehensive courses, will remain free for all users and will continue to be the go-to resource for those who wish to learn or improve their Welsh skills.
Despite its popularity, Welsh was ranked as the ninth most popular language among Duolingo’s UK users in 2020.
According to a 2021 report by the company, over 1.62 million people were learning Welsh on the app, with more than 400,000 actively using it.
The National Centre for Learning Welsh, which was previously collaborating with Duolingo, stated that it will still recommend Duolingo to learners as a valuable practice tool.
A spokesman for the center added, “Should Duolingo change its policy, the centre would be happy to assist with the development of the Welsh course.”
Jeremy Miles, the Education and Welsh Language Minister, responded to the news, saying, “In light of this announcement, I will be reaching out to Duolingo to explore how we can support the continued development of the Welsh course, in collaboration with the National Centre for Learning Welsh.”
