The Language Learning Specialists
uTalk The script written above is very special to us. It’s an example of the original Javanese writing system which, like 85% of the world’s alphabets, is endangered. It also means “I love you” in Javanese. Javanese is the native language of about 40% of the population of Indonesia and is spoken by around 98,000,000 people. … Read more
Leading modern slavery charity Hestia teams up with uTalk to launch ‘Project Freepost HESTIA’ requesting public’s old mobiles Hundreds of adults and dependent children to gain access to free language learning on smartphones helping them re-integrate into society More than a thousand victims of modern slavery now living in Britain are being thrown a crucial … Read more
By our multi-lingual friend Brian Loo Soon Hua, a.k.a. uTalk’s Language Guru. “No Smoking” signs in Nuuk, Greenland are often in three languages: Greenlandic (Pujortarfigeqqusaanngitsoq), Danish (Røgfrit Område– literally “Smoke-free Area”) and English (No Smoking). Notice anything special about the Greenlandic version? Greenlandic, like several other indigenous languages in North and South America, allows the … Read more
Pay your respects to St Patrick by learning how to pronounce his name in Irish! (And knowing the Irish for shamrock and whiskey might come in handy too…) Click below to hear: St Patrick – Naomh Pádraig Shamrock – an tseamróg Whiskey – an t-uisce beatha Did you know the Irish for whiskey translates as ‘water of life’? … Read more
History doesn’t record the reaction of Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary, when her dad presented her with a gift on March 1 in 1536. But, given it was a leek, we can imagine her gratitude was a little forced. There was a good reason, though, as a leek is the national symbol of Wales and 1st … Read more
If Valentine’s Day gives you a heavy heart instead of a heart-warming glow, try moving to South Korea! On 14th February, women give chocolate to men as a sign of affection and all their loved ones have to do is say thank you (감사합니다 or gamsahamnida in Korean). But the tables are turned on 14th … Read more
Passengers catching a flight with Emirates are able to learn a language while they’re in the air, thanks to a pioneering scheme launched in 2017. And the ‘classroom in the sky’ scheme, which lets passengers learn a language from videos in their seat headrest, was shortlisted for two awards from Inflight Middle East — but narrowly missed … Read more
East and West came together to launch uTalk’s new Tibetan language app on Tibetan New Year’s Day (Tuesday 5th February). Producer and actress, Trudie Styler, wife of pop star Sting, joined hands with a Tibetan child at the Tibetan Peace Garden in South London to mark the occasion. Speaking about the app, Trudie Styler, who … Read more
uTalk Founder Dick Howeson and in-house language expert Nat Dinham were quizzed about the company’s ethos in an interview with New York-based podcaster and speaker Fiel Sahir this week. Here are some of the highlights: Why uTalk’s content includes the basics There’s a reason why the app always includes the words written on men’s and … Read more
All the reindeer may have laughed and called Rudolph names, but what about the strange names of Donner and Blitzen? Donner and Blitzen, together with Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, and Cupid, were all named by American writer Clement Clarke Moore in his 1823 poem, ‘The Night Before Christmas’. And the poet originally gave Donner … Read more