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- Many entrepreneurs remain undaunted by these mixed results and continue to experiment with new and innovative ways of using technology to foster language acquisition.
- Additional research is needed about the impact of new language learning technologies to inform new ventures and to provide information to entrepreneurs who are looking to make a contribution in the field of language acquisition.
This piece was co-written with Jenny Janovitz, Penn GSE Doctoral Candidate
The process of learning a new language has evolved from when the only option for students to learn verb conjugations was from copying lists out of textbooks. Recent developments such as social networking platforms, improved voice recognition and computer video cameras have expanded the potential of technology to enhance language learning. Twitter, email, online discussion forums and Skype provide opportunities for authentic communication between language learners and native speakers that is often absent from traditional language classes. Moreover, the audio-visual capabilities of technology can provide scaffolding for language learners to progress at their own pace by having functions that allow them to pause, repeat, and play speech recordings more slowly or more quickly. Some technologies can even provide feedback to language learners after recording and analyzing their speech. However, because the measurable impact of many technological tools on language learning outcomes is inconclusive, researchers debate their efficacy. Many entrepreneurs remain undaunted by these mixed results and continue to experiment with new and innovative ways of using technology to foster language acquisition.
Entrepreneurs’ interest in language learning technologies may in part be motivated by the potential profit, since educational technology focused on language acquisition is in high demand. In 2013, for example, the worldwide language learning market (all languages combined) generated a hefty $34.78 billion and is forecasted to rise to more than $45 billion by 2020. It is possible that this profit potential has led some entrepreneurs to “leap before they look”-- turning a blind eye to academic research findings because they see the dollar signs-- which I have seen occur in other entrepreneurial spaces.
Alternatively, entrepreneurs may be optimistic about language learning technologies despite the ambiguous research because technology is a logical mechanism for revolutionizing language acquisition. Language fluency encompasses four key skills-- reading, writing, speaking and listening-- and technology facilitates all of these areas. Entrepreneurs may believe that current market offerings in language learning technologies don’t leverage these functionalities in the ways they should and seek to develop new technologies that do so. The need for academic research on these new products will be necessary to validate their impact.
There are many interesting examples of language learning technologies that attempt to leverage these kinds of capabilities. Middlebury Interactive, for example, offers language curriculum that can be used in either fully online or in blended learning environments and as core or supplemental curriculum. The curriculum uses an immersive pedagogy and authentic language materials to teach foreign languages to students in a cultural context. ITutorGroup offers a suite of products that can be used as part of traditional language courses, ranging from an online meeting platform to more than 16,000 of course content. Communication APPtitude’s InferCabulary Pro is a web-based vocabulary program that provides teachers with the ability to teach vocabulary by using images of words in different contexts.
Like successful entrepreneurs in any field, entrepreneurs in the field of language learning are doing research on their companies’ products to determine whether they are supporting language acquisition. Contrary to the findings of academic researchers, many of these ventures have found that their digital language learning products promote fluency in specific components of language learning. For example, Babbel is a quickly growing online language learning program that is focused on conversational speech. According to the company’s recent efficacy study, a novice user who has no background in Spanish only needs to complete an average of 15 hours of study with the software to be as proficient in conversation as someone who has taken a full semester of college coursework in the language. In another example, Duolingo is a free language learning platform that gamifies language acquisition and targets written translations. According to the company’s internal research findings, a novice user who has no background in Spanish would need to complete an average of 26 to 49 hours of study with Duolingo to cover the same material in a first-semester college Spanish course.
Ultimately, it is important to remember that education technology is a tool, not a savior. In the classroom, technological tools are only as helpful as the pedagogy they support, which is true with any classroom app or product and is especially true in the case of learning a second language. Additional research is needed about the impact of new language learning technologies to inform new ventures and to provide information to entrepreneurs who are looking to make a contribution in the field of language acquisition.
