Duolingo's Trick to Teach Chinese: Treat it Like a Game
Gina Gotthilf, vice president of growth, at Duolingo joined Cheddar to discuss the launch of its Chinese course, the most asked of course since Duolingo's launch in 2011.
She said it's taken the company so long to launch the course because the app wasn't designed to teach characters and "tones", which are the fundamentals of the Chinese language.
The lessons are based on themes like greetings, food, travel, sports, business/finance, culture and even Chinese internet slang.
Gotthilf says one of the reasons Duolingo has taken off is because of the "gamifying" aspect of learning. It aims to make using the app in line for coffee, on the train to work, or waiting for a flight is fun and quick. People can learn at their own pace while being entertained in the process, she said.
The company has raised total of $108.3 million in funding and is currently valued at $700 million. The future plans aren't to keep adding new languages, but to increase the efficiency of the courses already launched. So far, 200 million subscribers have started learning a new language.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
Hear from Gabino & Stephen Roche on Saphyre’s institutional AI platform that centralizes pre‑ and post‑trade data, redefining settlement speed and accuracy.
