The Language Learning Specialists
This week’s language of the week is Punjabi, so, just like many of you, we’ve been learning more about it. Turns out, we discovered something quite interesting: Punjabi, the same as Mandarin, Cantonese and even Yoruba, is a tonal language! Not sure what that means? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Let’s start with what … Read more
Tomorrow is a very special day that occurs once every four years: Leap Day! Now, we all know that it’s added to correct for the fact that one cycle of the Earth around the Sun isn’t actually 365 days long, but where did it come from, and how is it observed around the world? As … Read more
Studies have proven that music can help when it comes to learning, boosting your mood and helping you to form memories. But when it comes to learning languages, in particular, there’s another way that music can help—they’re direct exposure to your target language! In this blog post, we’ll be looking at music from Uganda, as … Read more
Last month, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announced a list of words it was adding to its ranks—including many from Nigerian Standard English for the first time. English is the official language of Nigeria but is only one of 500 spoken in the country. In this post, we’re going to take a look at an … Read more
When it comes to learning new languages, it’s not all about being fluent. Language company founder, Richard Howeson, shares his do’s and don’ts on language learning for beginners. When you’re preparing for an overseas trip, language learning is often lucky to scrap in at the bottom of your ‘to-do’ list. But, thanks to digital downloads … Read more
Ladino was recently the 144th language to be added to the uTalk app, but, with only around 50,000 speakers scattered around the world, it’s not one that many people have heard of. In this blog post, we’ll give you a quick run-down on Ladino so you’ll have some idea what to expect when you try … Read more
For every language uTalk adds to the app, we recruit two native speakers to come to our office in London and record. In this post, learn more about Benni Aguado, a Ladino speaker who put his job as a Court Translator and Interpreter on hold to fly over and help us record the language. Benni … Read more
We’ve all heard of Yiddish, right? But have you heard of another Jewish language, Ladino? It’s the language historically spoken by Jews whose ancestors once lived in Spain and Portugal and is classified as endangered by UNESCO. It was also our most recent addition to the uTalk app, with the help of digital archive Ladino … Read more
After months of hard work, we’ve just added our 144th language to the uTalk app—Ladino! In this blog post, we share how we go about adding new languages, as well as the unique issues that arise when it comes to adding languages that are endangered. Way back at the beginning of 2019, two individuals met … Read more
In our ongoing series, we’re busting all kinds of myths that prevent people from learning a new language. We’ve previously looked at whether you need a special gene or talent for languages (you don’t) or if you’re too old to learn a language once you’re past a certain age (you’re not) but today’s myth is … Read more