Lingopie has tapped into people’s enthusiasm for television with an interactive SVOD platform leveraging TV shows, movies and music to help teach foreign languages. The company was launched in April 2019, by David Datny and Roy Oppenheim; CEO Datny offers insights into what makes the platform a success.
What types/genres of TV shows are best for teaching a language?
Cartoons, comedy, lite sitcoms, and travel shows are great for beginners because the dialogue is usually fairly basic and they are easy to get into. For intermediate and advanced language learners, we see lots of interest in dramas, telenovelas and more serious non-scripted shows. This is because users get to hear and learn the language as it is spoken by native speakers in real situations. Also, it gives language learners a unique view into the context of the culture and language they are trying to learn. They also get to learn lots of fun and interesting slang and phrases that they just wouldn’t learn in a classroom setting.
How long does it typically take to be able to speak another language?
It’s hard to stay, but the basic language learner will start to see massive improvements in their listening comprehension and vocabulary in just 3-4 hours of watching a TV show. It’s amazing because if you go back and re-watch the same episode or scene, you’ll totally understand and pick up new words naturally without having to force yourself to memorize them, just from the context of the scene and what’s being said.
How does it work?
The product leverages Natural Language Processing (NLP) and behavioral analytics to create a rich and immersive binge-learning experience. While a person is watching, they can interact with subtitles and get instant translations, grammar, pronunciation, part of speech and more. After each episode, they can engage further with various learning review tools, such as flash cards, to reinforce what they learned during the TV episode. We call this process the “Lingopie Binge Learning Method.”
On the other side of the business, we’ve built partnerships with some of the largest international broadcasters and production companies to offer their content on Lingopie. They love working with us because we can take their back catalog of TV shows & movies, especially content that they have not licensed outside their home-market, and bring it to a totally brand new high-value audience around the world.
