This is also what I'd call the classic issue with Duolingo. Or rather, one of them, considering that the app has all sorts of issues.

If you use nothing but Duolingo you'll plateau very quickly. It's probably "okay" as a casual side spaced-repetition learning tool—when you're learning languages you generally want to pull from several different resources, and learn with different tools anyway. But don't make the mistake of thinking that Duolingo alone will get you anywhere.

I think this universally applies to repetition-learning, at least when it comes to languages. You need to "cross-train".

The way I think of memorization is as scaffolding. Rote memorization is very different from the skill or understand you are trying to build, and for this reason, many people are skeptical about the value of it. Why practice rote memorization when what you really want is very different? But this is like trying to construct a building without using scaffolding.

If you only use Anki and don't do anything else, it's like building scaffolding on an empty lot, and then building more and more scaffolding without using it to build anything else.

I tried to use Anki a long time ago, but maintaining cards ended up being too toilsome. Now that we have ChatGPT and other AI tech to take some of the pain out of that, I might give it another try for language study.

I do however maintain that for many skills it’s better to memorize processes over facts, and develop a more nuanced embedding with natural repetition intervals, rather than overfitting via excessive Anki-fication.

I've noticed this too, I study with Anki J->E cards and it supercharges my reading skill, helps somewhat my listening skill, and basically does nothing at all for my speaking skill.

I was wondering how much adding audio cards or "reversed" E->J cards to my routine might help. Are those variations worth the trouble?