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Duogle Translate is the cargo ship between Duo and Google Translate from the Duolingo fandom.
Canon[]
Duolingo and Google Translate serve similar functions, whereas Google instantly translates a user’s sentence from one language to another, Duolingo is designed to help users learn the language themselves.
Naturally, the Duolingo social medias jumped at the chance at having Duo attack Google Translate. One of the first and most wide-spread ones involve Duo catching someone use Google Translate instead of learning a language by looking at the culprit through a glass door. Duo reacts with devastation, slowly sliding his beak across the glass whilst continuing to stare at the person off-screen. Another involved a woman frustratedly chanting “I gotta put me first” whilst using Google Translate for her homework, only for Duo to slowly but threateningly approach her from behind. She doesn’t notice him until he asks her why she’s saying that, especially with the caption of “she doesn’t know what’s coming”, it is heavily implied that Duo is willing to hurt someone solely for using a competitor. Another involves Duo playing a game of “Red Light, Green Light” (in a homage to Squid Game) with a group of people at Duolingo HQ, proclaiming that he will especially chase the people down who were caught using Google Translate. In an unrelated video, Duo justifies his hatred for Google Translate by saying that bashing on it is one of his “owl urges”. When a follower proudly confesses to using Google Translate, Duo is shown to react in utter bafflement and disapproval.
Outside of TikTok, Duolingo’s social media is sometimes posting captioning memes involving Duo talking crap about Google Translate (sometimes literally). However, one viral tweet has Duo ask Google Translate if they could pose for photos like Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber, another pair of public figures who were commonly pitted against each other.
Fanon[]
Having Google Translate and Duolingo compete had already been a popular meme, due to some linguists trying to prove that Duolingo isn’t actually as effective at teaching languages as it claims to be. The Internet escalated it, egged on by Duolingo’s own lighthearted statements on the matter. As funny as the idea of an owl picking on a non-sentient translating software may be, many found it interesting to actually have Google Translate respond to Duo’s attacks. Further memes depict them fighting, with Google Translate often being given some limbs either by having the logo for the software as the head or the entire body with arms and legs attached or hands floating near the icon. The Friday Night Funkin’ community, known for being willing to make mods about any topic involving a fight, made multiple mods showing them engaging in a rap battle.
Since the default voice for Google Translate is feminine, a few interpretations reflect that by giving it a fully-feminine design, but keeping Duo the same. A few shipping fics depict Duo as a representative of the Duolingo app and living on the user’s phone, stumbling across Google Translate that way.
On AO3, the ship is Duo’s fourth most-popular ship and the most popular ship for the “Google Translate (Anthropomorphic)” tag. It is also the fourth/fifth most popular ship for the general Duolingo tag.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Duo/Google Translate tag on AO3
[]
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| Duolingo Ships • Duolingo Characters | ||
| SHIPS | het | DuaLingo |
| slash | DuoDaddy • Hootlingo • Redlingo | |
| femslash | Zarily | |
| cargo | Duogle Translate | |
| CHARACTERS | male | Duo |