LANGO
Project Overview: LANGO - Gamified Language Learning for Refugees and Immigrants
Introduction: For immigrants and refugees, acquiring comprehensive knowledge of the local language and understanding their new surroundings is a top priority. Although many countries offer government-sponsored integration courses, financial and cultural barriers can restrict access, creating a need for informal education and training opportunities to supplement formal courses. LANGO addresses this gap with a gamified language-learning app designed to help refugees and immigrants learn the local language and familiarize themselves with essential concepts.
Objectives: The primary goal of LANGO is to deliver a free, engaging language-learning solution that aids refugees and immigrants in mastering the local language and understanding their new environment. Key objectives include:
Providing extensive language content in target languages (approximately 6000 items, including words and expressions).
Covering a wide variety of topics crucial for immigrants, such as food, transportation, and clothing.
Offering content in 15 support languages, including Arabic, Sorani, Punjabi, Somali, Tigrinya, Urdu, Albanian, Pashto, Farsi, Kurmanji, and the target languages of English, French, Dutch, Greek, and Turkish.
Featuring high-quality images and audio files for pronunciation practice.
Including ten animated videos about daily life experiences, complete with comprehension questions.
Ensuring wide accessibility across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and web applications.
Implementation: Key implementation activities included:
Developing the app in three integrated formats (iOS, Android, and web app/portal) to allow users to access their profiles across all platforms.
Selecting and translating vocabulary, which required extensive cross-language proofreading and correction.
Uploading content and conducting thorough testing to ensure functionality.
Producing an animated video series, overlaying voiceovers in all target languages, and synchronizing them precisely.
Results: The LANGO project has produced several concrete outputs and results, including:
Mobile App and Web Portal: Fully integrated applications available on iOS and Android, with a web portal ensuring cross-platform access using the same registered profile.
Animated Video Series: Ten videos about daily life experiences, featuring multiple-choice comprehension questions, available in English, French, Dutch, Greek, and Turkish.
Extensive Language Support: Teaching five target languages (English, French, Dutch, Greek, and Turkish) with translations available in 15 support languages, enabling self-study supported by users' native tongues.
Comprehensive Database: The language database is accessible in all target languages and can be downloaded as PDF worksheets and country profiles via the dissemination site.
Conclusion: LANGO is more than just a language-learning app; it is a comprehensive educational tool designed to empower refugees and immigrants. By providing a gamified, accessible platform for language acquisition and cultural understanding, LANGO helps users integrate more smoothly into their new communities.