I love all sorts of music but there will always be a special place in my heart for French music. Over the last few years, as I have expanded my music taste, French artists always seem to find their way into my queue. From the first seconds of Stromae and Pomme’s “Ma Meilleure Ennemie,” I was hooked. Since then, I’ve listened to hours and hours of French pop, from the classics like Françoise Hardy to the modern works of Angèle. Most recently, I’ve been listening to the composer Lorien Testard, and I have tickets to a Patrick Watson concert in April.
That opening paragraph probably meant nothing to you if you’re not French or listen to French music, but it brings me to my main point: I do not speak a lick of French. This doesn’t mean I don’t know some French, though. Through some Google Translate, there are a handful of songs I now know the meaning of, but that still hasn’t changed the larger issue, which is that I only read, write, and speak English. So, a few nights ago, I decided to do something about it.
The first app I downloaded was Babbel. I created an account and did a short survey of why I wanted to learn French and what my current level was. After setting up my profile, it asked me to select a payment plan. The cheapest was $17.95 for one month, and the rates got cheaper and cheaper as the duration of the subscription got longer, until the final plan, which was a one time payment of $299 for a lifetime of access.
When I saw this, I ignored it at first. I clicked the “X” at the top of the page and started my first lesson (I know what bonjour means now!). After I finished the lesson, again, the paywall came right back up. However, this time was different. The app would not let me continue without paying. Now this is 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday night. The last thing I wanted to do was to pay for a subscription to learn French. I promptly deleted the app and downloaded the next highest rated app, which was Speakly.
This app was similar to Babbel. I created a profile and was met with a paywall. I clicked off of it and started my first lesson (I know what bonjour means now!). After finishing the lesson, I went to start another and guess what? Paywall to continue! $9.99 per month to unlock all languages and special AI learning tools! I deleted the app and moved on to the next.
This time, Duolingo was my next victim. Download, profile, paywall, bonjour — the process was starting to feel familiar. Once again, I go to start the second lesson, and Duo tells me I’m all out of energy and need to either wait 12 hours or pay their price. It was at this point that I threw in the towel and decided to scroll reels for the rest of the night.
What is the point of gatekeeping knowledge? Yes, these apps need to make a profit somehow, but throwing a paywall before you learn anything other than “hello” is diabolical. If I could at least get through more than just the first lesson, I might be more inclined to pay for one of these services, but when you teach me a single word and then say, “give me money,” of course, your stupid app is going to be deleted. So, to these apps, I will give you some advice about your business model using only the knowledge I got out of you for free: Bonjour
