Language-learning giant Duolingo found itself at the center of a heated controversy after a German lesson branded Harry Potter author JK Rowling as “mean.”
The incident came to light when journalist Gaby Koppel was practicing German on the popular app and encountered an unusual exercise. The lesson presented users with the question “Do you like books with Harry Potter as a character?” and required them to select the correct German response. The designated correct answer read: “Yes, but in my opinion the author is mean,” while the incorrect option stated: “Yes, you’re right. I’m interested in sports.”
Koppel, who discovered the exercise during her language studies, expressed her frustration on social media platform X. “Shame on you @duolingo: learning German and I came across the sentence ‘Yes I like Harry Potter but the author is mean,'” she wrote. “How woke do you have to be to let #trans ideology infect a language lesson?”
Speaking to The Telegraph, Koppel revealed that Rowling was the “first and only real life person” that had been “picked out for criticism” during her five months of using the application. She questioned the relevance of such content to language acquisition, asking: “It’s gratuitous – how is Rowling relevant to learning German?”
Koppel drew particular attention to the selective nature of the criticism, noting that other controversial global figures had not received similar treatment in the app’s lessons. “Not Putin, not the Ayatollahs, but somebody who happens to take a gender-critical stance,” she observed.
Rowling’s public positions on transgender issues have made her a polarizing figure in recent years. The author has faced significant backlash from some quarters for her views on gender identity and women’s rights, though she maintains substantial support from others who share her perspectives.
Duolingo, which boasts 34.1 million daily active users worldwide, making it the most popular language-learning application globally, moved quickly to address the backlash. The twitter account issued an apology, stating: “We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content from the app.”
Recently, Rowling has been involved in supporting fellow writer John Boyne, who faced criticism after being nominated for an LGBT literary prize. Rowling defended Boyne against what she termed “tinpot tyrants” after more than 10 authors requested removal from the same prize longlist in protest of his inclusion.
