Mondly is an educational technology company that develops a freemium language learning platform which includes a website and apps with free and paid courses for 41 languages.[1][2][3] Mondly is also a pioneer in VR Education, with its most recent launch on Meta Quest being in the top 10 VR apps worldwide.[4][5][6][7] Starting May 2022, Mondly became a part of Pearson.[8]

Mondly
Mondly Official Logo
Type of businessLanguage Learning App
Available in41 languages
List of languages
Spanish, American English, British English, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Romanian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi, Hebrew, Polish, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Czech, Croatian, Finnish, Persian, Thai, Afrikaans, Turkish, Bengali, Latin, Catalan, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Tagalog and Urdu.
Founded28 May 2014
HeadquartersBrașov, Romania
Area servedWorldwide
Founder(s)Alex Iliescu, Tudor Iliescu
Key peopleAlex Iliescu (CEO, co-founder)
Tudor Iliescu (Co-founder)
IndustryLanguage Learning Software, Self-Study Programs
ProductsMondly App, Mondly VR, Mondly AR, Mondly Kids
ServicesLanguage Learning
URLhttps://www.mondly.com/
Launched2014
Current statusOnline
Native client(s) oniOS, Android, Oculus Rift, Web

Mondly is a freemium language-learning platform. Consisting of a website and apps that help people learn foreign languages. Based on a method that combines vocabulary and phrase learning with speech recognition and chatbot technologies.

History

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Mondly is based in Brașov, Romania and was founded at the end of 2013 by Alexandru Iliescu and Tudor Iliescu, graduates of Transilvania University of Brașov.[9][10]

The company launched the first app in May 2014 on AppStore and on Google Play in June 2015. A year later, in August 2016, launched the first chatbot with speech recognition on both iTunes and Google Play.[11][12]

In February 2017, Mondly launched MondlyVR, a virtual reality language app with speech recognition.[13][14] By September, the app was availablle in both Oculus Store and Google Play.[15]

In May 2017, the company launched MondlyKids, an iOS and Android language app for children aged 5 to 12.[16] In March 2018, launched MondlyAR, the first augmented reality language app with speech recognition.[17]

In early 2020, Mondly made its main app available on Huawei AppGallery.[18]

In October 2020, Mondly announced its partnership with Oxford University Press on a new suite of custom English grammar and vocabulary tests.[19]

Following a rise in interest in VR education,[20] the company launched Mondly VR on the Oculus Quest store in August 2021.[21]

In the third quarter of 2021, Mondly became the second most downloaded language learning app worldwide.[22]

Language courses

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As of 2017, Mondly had courses for 33 languages using localized content in 33 native languages.[23][24] The available levels of language proficiency are beginner, intermediate and advanced.[25]

In 2020, the app introduced courses for 8 new languages: Bengali, Catalan, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Tagalog, and Urdu.[26]

List

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There are 41 languages you can learn with Mondly:[27]

Products

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Mondly Languages is a language learning app that integrates chatbot and speech recognition technologies to help users learn any of the 33 languages it offers.[28][29]

Mondly Kids is a language learning app for toddlers and kids.[30][31]

MondlyVR is a language learning app in virtual reality available on Steam and the Oculus Store compatible with Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest headsets.[32][33]

MondlyAR features an avatar “teacher” who brings virtual objects – planets, animals, musical instruments, etc. – into the room as teaching tools, engages the user in conversations and gives instant feedback on pronunciation using the chatbot technology.[34][35][36]

Recognition and awards

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In January 2016, Mondly Languages was named “Best New App” by Apple[37] and a year later it received the FbStart[38] “App of the Year[39]” award for Europe, Middle East & Africa offered by Facebook.[40]

In December 2017, Mondly Languages and MondlyKids have both been chosen as “Editors’ Choice” in Google Play.

In 2018, Mondly was named a “Cool Vendor” in Consumer Mobile Applications and Bots by Gartner[41] and included in Deloitte’s Fast 50 Rising Stars.[42] Alexandru Iliescu, the CEO and co-founder of Mondly, was named Founder of the Year at the Central European Startup Awards.[43]

In February 2019, the founders of Mondly were awarded the “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year: Technology & Innovation” prize by Ernst & Young.[44] In July, Mondly was named "Best Online Language Learning Portal” in Germany by the Deutsches Institut für Service-Qualität.[45]

In November 2021, Mondly won the Chairman’s Award at the WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards.[46]

References

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  1. ^ "5 bots to try this week: Medium, Hi Startups, Stylebox, Mondly, and Magic Eight bot". VentureBeat. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  2. ^ "The 100 best Android apps turn your phone into a jack-of-all-trades". Digital Trends. 2018-03-08. Archived from the original on 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  3. ^ "Mondly Banks on Augmented Reality to Make It Fun to Learn a New Language". NDTV Gadgets360.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  4. ^ Douglas, Melissa (2017-08-08). "Virtual Reality: The New and Sexier Way to Learn Languages?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  5. ^ "Bonjour, mon ami! Mondly uses VR to teach new languages". Digital Trends. 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  6. ^ "Learning a language in VR is less embarrassing than IRL". Quartz. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  7. ^ "The New Way To Learn Languages: Virtual Reality". Inc.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  8. ^ "Pearson reports 7% underlying sales growth as it acquires language learning platform Mondly". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  9. ^ "TAGP337 Alexandru Iliescu : Follow The Launch Day For Mondly". The App Guy. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  10. ^ "Some developers are furious ahead of Facebook's annual conference: 'They're declaring war on their partners'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  11. ^ "Mondly Language Learning App Receives Conversational Chatbot". Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  12. ^ Bigg, Margot. "Top Apps for Learning a New Language". Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  13. ^ "Bonjour, mon ami! Mondly uses VR to teach new languages". Digital Trends. 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  14. ^ "Mondly VR Is The First-Ever Language Learning VR App With Speech Recognition - VR News, Games, And Reviews". www.vrandfun.com. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  15. ^ "The New Way To Learn Languages: Virtual Reality". Inc.com. 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  16. ^ "Here Is the Best Language Learning App for You". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  17. ^ Brown, Eileen. "Mondly launches virtual reality for learning languages, powered by chatbots". ZDNet. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  18. ^ "Huawei AppGallery gets Mondly, a language learning platform". pocketnow.com. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  19. ^ "Oxford University Press - OUP and Mondly announce partnership for English language learning". global.oup.com. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  20. ^ "People Recall Information Better Through Virtual Reality, Says New UMD Study". College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. 2018-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  21. ^ "Mondly: Practice Languages in VR on Oculus Quest". Oculus. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  22. ^ "Duolingo dominates usage in language learning sector". Business of Apps. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  23. ^ "momondo". www.momondo.com. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  24. ^ "The 8 Best Language Learning Apps To Boost Your Progress". TakeLessons Blog. 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  25. ^ App, Daily Nation. "TECH BREAK: 7 highly useful apps to learn a new language". Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  26. ^ "Bengali, Latin, Catalan and 5 Other Languages Are Now Available in Mondly". Mondly Blog. 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  27. ^ https://www.mondly.com/faq/what-languages-can-learn-with-mondly
  28. ^ Brown, Eileen. "Mondly releases language-learning voice chatbot". ZDNet. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  29. ^ Bigg, Margot. "Top Apps for Learning a New Language". Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  30. ^ AndroidGuys (2017-05-19). "Mondly: Why teaching kids to learn new languages is now easier than ever". AndroidGuys. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  31. ^ "Mondly App for Kids: Your Kids Path to Being Multilingual - Mom Blog Society". Mom Blog Society. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  32. ^ "Mondly: Learn Languages in VR on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  33. ^ "Mondly: Learn Languages in VR on Oculus Rift". Oculus. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  34. ^ "Learn a new Language With Your Mobile Using MondlyAR". VRFocus. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  35. ^ "Mondly AR Tool Makes it Easier to Learn Other Languages for Business - Small Business Trends". smallbiztrends.com. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  36. ^ "Mondly Launches AR-Enabled Language Learning Tool - NewsCenter.io". NewsCenter.io. 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  37. ^ Brown, Eileen. "Mondly releases language-learning voice chatbot". ZDNet. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  38. ^ "FbStart - Facebook for Developers". Facebook for Developers. Archived from the original on 2018-12-23. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  39. ^ "Announcing the FbStart Apps of the Year Winners - Facebook for Developers". Facebook for Developers. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  40. ^ "Code-teaching app SoloLearn wins FbStart Apps of the Year competition – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  41. ^ "Cool Vendors in Consumer Mobile Applications and Bots". Gartner. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  42. ^ "Technology Fast 50 Central Europe" (PDF).
  43. ^ "Season 2018 – Central European Startup Awards". Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  44. ^ "EY picks up real estate developer for best entrepreneur in 2018". Romania Insider. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  45. ^ "Deutschlands Beste Online-Portale: Kategorie Lernportale Sprachen". disq.de. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  46. ^ "Witsa". witsa.org. Retrieved 2021-12-09.