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.