Busuu
Busuu.com is a social network for learning languages on which users can mutually help to improve their language skills. The website offers audio-visual learning material works in twelve different languages : English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese. Learners can create a profile, add one or more of these languages to their learning portfolio, work at their own pace through the lessons and track their progress.
Origin of the name
Busuu is a spoken language in Cameroon. According to an ethnological study from the 1980s, at that time were only eight people in a position to speak this language.
Busuu.com launched in the fall of 2010, a campaign to save the language Busuu. For this purpose, a music video with the last eight Busuu speakers was recorded. In addition, a separate page has been created, could record their own song on Busuu to the user free of charge. The Language Learning Portal also presented the first audio-visual learning units in this language available for free.
Concept
Busuu.com is a web 2.0 site that originally operated by a startup company based in Madrid, who is now in London. It is aimed at users who learn languages or want to improve already existing language skills. The site offers multimedia learning materials as well as an online community of native speakers on the use of tandem language learning method on an integrated video chat feature. Each user is therefore not only a "student", but also " teacher " of his own native language.
Courses are based on the Common European Framework (CEFR ), and cover levels A1, A2, B1 and B2. Each course is divided into learning units covering more than 150 topics of everyday life. Members benefit from different types of materials for each lesson, such as vocabulary and key sentences, dialogues, audio, podcasts and PDFs. In the course of their learning process, users can test their progress with small repetitions.
Prizes and awards
Busuu.com participated in the acclaim from the UNESCO International Year of Languages 2008 and launched a campaign to rescue Silbo Gomero, a language based whistling sounds from the Canary Islands in September 2008. This campaign won the Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. In September 2009, UNESCO Silbo Gomero took on in the world heritage of mankind.
In September 2009, received the busuu.com Language Label, which goes to innovative projects in the field of language learning. This price is coordinated by the European Commission, and awarded each year by different Member States.
In November 2012 busuu.com won the SevenVentures Pitch Day both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award. The pitch was organized by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG and is endowed with a median volume of seven million euros, of which four million euros for the winner. The audience award consists of a consultancy package worth 600,000 euros.
Development
The use of busuu.com is largely free of charge. After leaving the beta status in February 2009, a paid premium membership has been introduced which provides additional functions. Premium Members also get access to additional learning materials and extensive services.
The technique is based on the Drupal framework. busuu.com also has an easy to use interface with an interactive dashboard that changes when the language skills improve and grow, which is regarded as the busuu language garden.
The website also offers iPhone/iPad- and Android apps in two different models, as language learning and travel packages. The former provide lessons in all levels from A1 to B2. The travel packages include phrases and expressions for everyday situations in the holiday, including situations in the hotel or restaurant, for example.
Since September 2011, there is a newest product a fee-based business course in English and Spanish.
In October 2012 Busuu could collect 3.5 million euros by PROfounders Capital and some unnamed private investors in a Series A financing round. The sum will be used to further expand the international market as well as to optimize the services of the network.