uTalk Challenge: Hall of Fame

Back in January, we kicked off the 2016 uTalk Challenge, inviting language learners the world over to see how much they could learn in a month. If they completed our uTalk app in their chosen language by the end of January, they could choose a new language for February, and so on. Little did we imagine that 12 months later, a small band of intrepid uTalk Challengers would be heading towards completing their 12th language…

We’ll be launching the 2017 uTalk Challenge very soon – and if you need a bit of inspiration, check out what a few of our talented 12 had to say about their experiences over the last year. This time next year it could be you!

Patricia

Languages learnt: Basque, Czech, Farsi, Kazakh, Lithuanian, Greenlandic, Japanese, Georgian, Samoan, Dzongkha, Hungarian, and Amharic

Inspiration: ”Learning languages, even at a rudimentary level, opens you up to the world because it fuels curiosity, and that’s why this has been my second time taking part in the uTalk Challenge.”

Olwen

Languages learnt: Welsh, Spanish, Romanian, Swahili, German, Danish, Mandarin, Catalan, Maori, Russian, Cockney, and Hebrew

Top tip:  “Always try to make an effort when visiting foreign countries though, as I think it’s only polite to at least learn ‘hello’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’!

Darren

Languages learnt: Polish, Czech, Romanian, Italian, Japanese, Klingon, Icelandic, Korean, Turkish, Spanish, Xhosa, and Bulgarian

Favourite moment:  “Having a handful of words in another language opens up a whole world of new experiences, and I’ve made many new friends over the last few years just by saying a word or two in their native tongue.”

 

Nicholas

Languages learnt: Spanish, Italian, French, German, Chinese, Latin, Russian, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch, Flemish, and Norwegian

Favourite moment: “I have really enjoyed the uTalk Challenge and have found it so rewarding. I started off learning Spanish and then progressed to other European languages and then after a few months I soon found myself attempting Chinese and Russian! The language challenge is great fun and really rewarding, everyone should try it!”

Katherine

Languages learnt: Maltese, German, Spanish, Arabic Modern Standard, Russian, German Swiss, Polish, Dutch, Norwegian, Catalan, Italian and French

Motivation: “Even the smallest successful conversation with a native-speaker makes all the work put into learning that language worthwhile!”

David

Languages learnt: German, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Greek, Spanish Latin American, German Swiss, Sicilian, Spanish Argentinean, and Catalan

Favourite tip: “It can be hard at times but as you progress it all seems worthwhile.”

Piotr

Languages learnt: Igbo, Cantonese, Greenlandic, Chinese Mandarin, Persian, Samoan, Uzbek, Setswana, Mongolian, Portuguese BR, Vietnamese, and Bemba

Favourite tip: “I’ve been interested in languages since I remember. The more exotic the better! uTalk has an excellent choice of exotic languages to learn and the uTalk Challenge giving an opportunity to test dozens of them is a real gem for me.”

Nancy

Languages learnt: Azeri, Dari, Dutch, Sicilian, Swiss German, Turkish, Flemish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Afrikaans, and Turkmen

Favourite moment: “Seeing a smile on a person’s stunned face when I say hello in her or his native language is more than valuable.  It’s priceless.”

The uTalk Challenge 2017 has launched – go to uTalk to sign up.