Duolingo to expand local team, products

US-based edtech company Duolingo is doubling down on its commitment to China, one of its fastest-growing international markets, as the company eyes deeper investment and partnerships to tap into the rising demand for language learning and English proficiency tests.

"China is one of the largest markets that we're in. We care about the market very much," said Rogelio Alvarez, vice-president of business for Duolingo and general manager of the Duolingo English Test.

Alvarez noted that China is home to one of the world's largest populations of English learners and the largest population of English test takers globally. "That makes it a very important market for us in both the language learning app and the Duolingo English Test as well," he said.

Soon after entering the Chinese market in 2018, Duolingo established its first international office in Beijing. It is currently planning to expand its local team and product offerings. "We want to keep investing, we want to keep hiring people and we want to keep developing our products so we can better serve our Chinese customers," Alvarez said.

He added that China's scale, its fast adoption of new technologies, and its strong appetite for studying abroad make it a resilient market. "We're very happy with the growth that we've seen here," Alvarez said. "We're seeing growth in our market share, growth in our acceptance by institutions … and growth in the app from users who actually learn new languages as well."

Carrie Wang, head of global growth for the Duolingo English Test, echoed that sentiment, saying the company sees a "huge market, really strong momentum, and it's time for us to double down".

"Overall, we expect the company to continue to grow, both the language learning app and the DET," Wang said. "We're excited to do more partnerships with local companies to make Duolingo as a brand much more aware. And we're just scratching the surface. There are hundreds of millions of people who are interested in languages but don't know Duolingo yet."

According to its latest financial results, the number of Duolingo's global monthly active users reached nearly 130 million in the second quarter, an increase of 24 percent year-on-year, while its daily active users surged 40 percent year-on-year to 47.7 million.

Its DET, a computer-based adaptive language proficiency test, has changed traditional English testing norms by offering tests at a quarter of conventional costs — anytime, anywhere.

"For Duolingo, China is a very important market. For our language learning app, China is the fastest-growing market among all international markets. For DET, China is also the largest source of test takers worldwide," said Wang Chen, head of China growth for the DET.

She added that the platform is not only bringing languages into China but also helping Chinese go global. "More than 25 million people overseas are learning Chinese, and over 17 million of them are learning it on Duolingo," she said.

Tan Ruiqiao, an education analyst at Sealand Securities, noted that language learning products are the fastest track for AI education to achieve commercialization. "AI can provide strong emotional value and interactive experiences, allowing users to feel less psychological pressure when practicing oral English with an AI tutor."

ouyangshijia@chinadaily.com.cn