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It is a wonderful privilege to have the money and people available to pursue those options, but it is a privilege many do not enjoy.

Meanwhile, for many of those many, learning a new language is more than a fun pastime or intellectual challenge, it is a matter of economic or even physical survival. Duolingo's mascot likes to breezily inform me that most people using Duolingo in Sweden are refugees trying to learn Swedish. Don't those people deserve more emphasis on practical mastery, and less on social engagement? Do they have the money and opportunity to pursue quality interactions with native speakers?

If digital tools could provide reasonable sub-levels of mastery short of full conversational fluency, like ability to read a newspaper, understand a news broadcast or sitcom, babysit a child, or hold a business conversation in an office, I wouldn't complain. But I'm not aware of any digital teaching tools that prepare a person adequately for any of that.

Fine, digital tools are inadequate for reaching full conversational fluency. But should we then let them off the hook for not delivering any level of practical skill in a reasonable amount of time?

Is it really impossible for them to do any better at delivering real-world value?