Mediaboss Marketing

While walking through a major airport about three years ago, I made the mistake of stopping at one of the bright yellow Rosetta Stone booths for directions. I asked them where to find the Ben & Jerrys, already debating the ways that a fudge sundae would ease the soul crushingly boring seven hour layover I was enduring. They cheerfully replied that now was really the best time in my life to start learning a new language, and that Rosetta is an investment in the future.

I didnt understand how that would ease my layover I was just looking for ice cream.

They explained that this technique was proven, and that it could be mine for a price comparable to my international airline fare. Sensing that the conversation wasnt going anywhere, I issued a hasty apology and departed to question the sunglasses booth, flicking business cards out of my various orifices and vowing to never buy what appeared to be the software equivalent of a lamprey.

But they must have been more persuasive than I thought, as I ended up purchasing a copy of their French edition a couple months later. It wasnt entirely unsuccessful either I still joke to my friends that I learned the same amount of French in four weeks on my computer that I did in three years of Chinese classes.

Since then, Ive sworn by software rather than coursework, even though Ive stuck with it to about the same extent that most people remember to floss. Software learning isnt for everyone it takes a degree of dedication and patience, and the sale price of $500+ of the Rosetta Stone products is still about as appealing as a discount colonoscopy. But these days, there are so many free alternatives to Rosetta that there isnt an excuse not to at least try software, especially if your only alternative is a multi-thousand dollar college course.

Duolingo, a small startup company for online and mobile language learning, has especially caught my interest. Paying the equivalent to your rent on what is essentially a simple point and click, picture-puzzle game sucks, and Id always wondered when some clever upstart or open source project would assemble itself to take down the big leagues.

Duolingo seems to be that program its completely free, basing its business model around the idea that students, in the process of taking their lessons, will translate articles for real companies who pay the Duolingo for the service.

Buzzfeed seems convinced theyve recently signed a multi-million dollar contract with the app (which sounds a bit ambiguous to me do we really need the 5 Vines That Will Make You LOL in every language?). But if it becomes genuinely successful, Im sure well see others join as well.

Excerpt from:
Free language learning software rivals Rosetta Stone