Language Platform Duolingo to offer Arabic

The popular and free language-learning platform Duolingo is set to launch an Arabic course in the first quarter of 2018.

Arabic was one of the most requested languages on the platform and is now under development with a launch date of March 2018.

The app uses ‘gamification’ techniques to encourage learning. A user needs to complete various levels. On each level users win, or lose, points dependent on the right and wrong answers.

Approximately 15% of users finish a Duolingo course, which helps them to know the basics of a given language.

Duolingo told The National newspaper that there would be an effort to include culturally relevant sentences in the Arabic course.

The service is already very popular in the Middle East and Africa, with 13.3 million users and more than 12 million Arabic speakers learning English on the app and the website. Gina Gotthilf, the company's vice president of growth, told The National:

“We are really excited about the launch of Arabic. It’s a language that has been highly requested for a while. We really think that it’s going to be a big one. We really think a lot of people are going to want to learn Arabic based on how many people learn it across the world and based on the interest we have received.”

The tool is useful for both adults and children to supplement their Arabic learning in school.

The platform is also available for classrooms, with thousands of teachers already using it to enhance their lessons.