It’s rare that we contemplate the composition of our native language, let alone that of foreign ones, beyond the confines of the English department. Consequently, we tend to harbor this unconscious assumption that every language fits neatly into the others. We view translation as cut-and-dry, matter-of-fact, when in reality, it is remarkably ambiguous.
Constructions that are central to one language have no place in another, and there are many things that simply can’t be translated word for word. It seems a tragedy that so much complexity can exist while remaining wholly unintelligible to the untrained ear. At the same time, it’s a thrilling prospect — an entire world hiding in plain sight.
Alas, our culture demands productivity at every turn, and endeavors that do not directly generate profit are dismissed as superfluous. A hobby is only as good as the side hustle you can make of it. Under this regime of manufactured urgency, days distort into mere collections of hours. Time slips through our fingers, and the weeks and months feel shorter. Naturally, convenience beckons.
It seems as though there is barely enough time to brush our teeth in the morning, let alone aspire to achieve bilingualism. After all, if it can’t be done in a day, why try at all? App developers and CEOs everywhere are making a killing off our haste, swearing up and down that in just 10 minutes a day, you too can, well, fill in the blank.
When it seems as though efficiency is valued above all else, let us embrace that which takes time.
Duolingo is an obvious manifestation of this, and we’re more than well-acquainted with that vexing, anthropomorphic owl. With over 50 million daily users as of September 2025, the app promises accessible language proficiency through what its developers describe as a “functional approach.” While this mission may seem noble if you can turn a blind eye to the company’s newly instated artificial intelligence-first policy, the hard truth is that language acquisition is just not that simple.
Duolingo can be useful, yes, but at its core, it is a supplementary resource, not a comprehensive curriculum. This is because learning a language requires a fundamental understanding of grammar and syntax that cannot be derived from lessons designed for ease and engagement alone. There are simply some things that can’t — and frankly shouldn’t — be boiled down to “bite-size lessons” that “feel more like a game than a textbook.”
Of course, this is not to demonize those who use the app. We are all victims of the industry, and the desire to learn another language is an earnest one. Rather, it is the fact that everything we consume these days, even that with educational intent, comes to us as garish short-form content, just long enough to make us feel like we’ve done something with our time and just short enough to avoid learning anything at all.
When it seems as though efficiency is valued above all else, let us embrace that which takes time. Remember what it feels like to really strain your mind, not for the sake of survival or financial gain, but for the pursuit of knowledge — for the love of the game. Learning a new language is no easy task, but not everything is meant to be. In not just enduring that discomfort, but relishing in it, we can become more attuned to ourselves.
When speaking our native language, there is so much we take for granted, and even more that goes unconsidered. We rely on conventions that we only unconsciously understand, thoughtlessly slipping into clichés and speaking out of instinct rather than intention. Like parrots, we mimic the world around us and pass it off as our own.
Yet, when we speak a second or even third language, we cannot lean on these canons. They are not imprinted upon our psyche, and so every sentence is an act of creation. We become deliberate and innovative; we make do.
Our personality, which typically comes as second nature, must be delicately rebuilt, and to do so demands introspection. What about ourselves is most worthy of recreation, and what is even capable of it? When you are reborn into another rhythm, what carries through?
In a world rife with genocide and injustice, we must remember that language has always been political.
At times, this process is exhilarating, and the satisfaction of finally carrying a conversation or making a joke is entirely unmatched. However, it can also be utterly humiliating. When our native language is no longer the default, our mode of expression is snatched away. Suddenly, we are alone in a room of people. Conversations whiz past without time for comprehension or reply, and the sense of anonymity is so acute you could drown in it. It doesn’t matter what you’re really like because there’s no one there to witness it.
For many, this experience is seldom novel, and learning a foreign language is not always an academic undertaking or a New Year’s resolution. In a world rife with genocide and injustice, we must remember that language has always been political. Every day, people are fleeing their homes, sacrificing all that is familiar in hopes of safety and security. For these individuals, learning another language isn’t an option; it is a necessity.
At the very same time, a presidential administration that has constructed its campaign upon growing anti-immigration rhetoric reigns supreme. In March of last year, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14224 titled “Designating English as the Official Language of the United States.” In doing so, an order passed by former President Bill Clinton in 2000, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency,” was revoked.
As a result, federally funded agencies are no longer required to take steps to make their services accessible to individuals who lack fluency in English, a demographic that made up 9% of the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey. This order shows a flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being of millions, and only fuels the growing fire of nationalism and xenophobia in the United States.
It is far easier to dehumanize those we cannot communicate with, to disregard their existence and experiences simply because we refuse to take the time to listen. For those who subscribe to the hateful doctrines of the current administration, this can be deliberate. However, for those who simply haven’t encountered a comparable experience, it can be unintentional.
Empathy demands understanding, and the current state of things is too dire to plead ignorance. It should go without saying that this is not to compare a self-imposed and privileged endeavor to the hardships of millions, but I do genuinely believe that the specific shade of discomfort unique to language learning is one that many Americans would do well to endure.
There is all this beauty hiding in the spaces between characters that you cannot yet read, floating in the breath of speakers you cannot yet understand. Weather the urge to succumb to convenience. Engage in that which cultivates your compassion. Revel in the challenge.
