If you’re the sort of international jetsetter who loves to learn a bit of the local language before a trip, you can now apply that work ethic to your travels within the US.

Tourists on the beachfront at sunset on Waikiki beach 27 April 2014 in Oahu. Waikiki beach is beachfront neighborhood of Honolulu, best known for white sand and surfing. Image by ©Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock

The popular language app Duolingo has added ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian language, and Diné, the Navajo language, to its long list of courses. The app has been making efforts to add at-risk and endangered languages to Duolingo, working with those who speak them to create free lessons that will help them reach a larger audience.

In Hawaii, Duolingo partnered with Hawaiian culture-based schools and organizations to bring the language to the app. The language is undergoing a resurgence in Hawaii and those who speak it hope the course can help “renormalize” the language. “Our language is our foundation, but it is also the language of this land, and everyone, Hawaiian or not, can connect to the ʻāina more deeply through it,” said Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, a Hawaiian language expert, in a statement. While most travellers know when to say “aloha” while on the islands, it may come in useful for anyone looking to delve a bit deeper into Hawaii’s incredible culture.

Navajo horseman at John Ford's Point in the Monument Valley Tribal Park, Arizona, USA, Image by ©travellight/Shutterstock

In the continental US, travellers heading to the Southwest have a chance to learn more about the Navajo language of Diné using Duolingo. During the colonization of the US, Diné speakers were forced to speak English and the language is now considered endangered. However, its remaining speakers have worked hard at efforts to revitalize its use – which is part of why they, with the San Juan School District in Utah, have teamed up with the free app. Like most of its courses, the Diné lessons are being developed by the Duolingo Incubator, using a team fluent in Diné and English and dedicated to the language’s revival.