The termination of Duolingo Translator positions ignites a debate on artificial intelligence (AI).
                     The termination of Duolingo Translator pos
itions ignites a debate on artificial intellige
nce (AI).
www.slator.com
For linguaphiles around the world, committing to learn, practice, or improve 
skills in a non-native language is a classic New Year’s resolution. But as 
language-learning platform Duolingo, now a USD 8bn company, rang in 2024 
with a few controversial HR decisions, some users have decided to ditch the 
app altogether. 
A Reddit user known as No_Comb_4582 first raised alarm bells in a 
late December 2023 post on a Duolingo-related thread. 
A self-identified contract translator for one of Duolingo’s “top three” languages, 
the user alleged that the company had “‘off boarded’ a huge percentage of 
their contractors who did translations.”
“Of course this is because they figured out that AI can do these translations in 
a fraction of the time,” No_Comb_4582 continued, sharing a screenshot of an 
official email from Duolingo severing their work relationship. “Plus it saves 
them money.” www.slator.com
The story was amplified on Twitter, where an observer added, based on 
additional information on Reddit, that “the remaining [translators] are simply 
reviewing AI translations to make sure they’re ‘acceptable’.”
No_Comb_4582 admitted on Reddit that the scale was relatively small — two 
translators out of four on total on their team — but 
returned on January 8, 2024, to clarify that there had been “much wider layoffs 
outside [my] team.”
The Benefits of Standing 
Earlier, the usAerlo hnaed shared that so-called ‘content curators’ — f.k.a. translators 
— will check AI-generated content that is then translated into multiple target 
languages, so that each course will have the same source content. While the new 
model means “a ton of content will be generated much more quickly,” 
No_Comb_4582 wrote, “ I personally think it will reduce the feeling of uniqueness 
of the languages.”  
www.slator.com
According to a January 8, 2024 Bloomberg News report, Duolingo let go about 
10% of contractors that day. The article quoted a Duolingo spokesperson who 
explained, “We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work 
some of these contractors were doing. Part of that could be attributed to AI.”
The thread started by an anonymous out-of-work, former Duolinguo linguist 
garnered more than 2,100 upvotes on Reddit and 567 comments at the time of 
writing. 
Most were critical of Duolingo’s decision, expressing their sadness at the news. A 
few outliers, however, seemed unmoved, with one shrugging, “Unfortunately, AI 
will beat humans in translation sooner or later.” 
In the same vein, another user wrote, “As long as the learning material is correct, 
I don’t mind whether it is human or AI generated.”
www.slator.com
The Benefits of Standing 
That, of coursAel,o isn ethe crux of the issue, and the majority of commenters 
seemed skeptical that AI would be able to match, much less surpass, the 
abilities of human linguists. 
While the OP only provided broad outlines of the day-to-day responsibilities of 
translators — among them “coming up with” content, translations, and 
alternative translations — some Duolingo users claimed they had already seen 
a decline in the quality of the language courses. 
In particular, critics found fault with automated mispronunciations, incorrect 
translations, and, as one user described it, “unhinged crap for practice.” 
Others took issue with the principle of paying a premium for AI-generated 
content, and some posts indicated Redditors had canceled or planned to cancel 
their “Super”-level subscriptions.
www.slator.com
“I’m not paying $100/year so you can middleman me ChatGPT,” one Duolingo 
user wrote. “Deleting the app,” another commenter wrote, adding, “Maybe 
they can replace their paying customers with AI as well.” Elsewhere, users 
swapped recommendations for alternative language-learning apps. 
Interestingly, Duolingo — which filed to go public in June 2021 — still seems to be 
hiring, with openings for multiple AI research engineers in New York and in the 
company’s Pittsburgh, PA headquarters. Data scientists, software engineers, and 
several localization program managers and a senior content program manager 
are also on the “help wanted” list. 
The company is also advertising several freelance opportunities, including a 
Japanese language manager — though time will tell how, exactly, that role will 
evolve.
www.slator.com
Slator  is  the lead ing source of  news and research for  the g lobal  
t rans la t ion,  loca l izat ion,  and language technology indust ry .  Our  
Adv isory  prac t ice is  a  t rusted par tner  to  c l ients  look ing for  
independent  ana lys is .  Headquar tered in  Zur ich,  S la tor  has a 
presence in  As ia ,  Europe,  and the US.
www.slator.com