Babbel - Wikipedia

Babbel is a premium, subscription-based language learning app for web, iOS and Android. Babbel currently offers 15 different languages from seven display ... Babbel FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch Thisarticlecontainscontentthatiswrittenlikeanadvertisement.Pleasehelpimproveitbyremovingpromotionalcontentandinappropriateexternallinks,andbyaddingencyclopediccontentwrittenfromaneutralpointofview.(July2021)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) Thisarticlemaycontainwordingthatpromotesthesubjectthroughexaggerationofunnoteworthyfacts.Pleasehelpimproveitbyremovingorreplacingsuchwording.(July2021)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) Onlinelanguagelearningplatform Thisarticleisaboutthesoftware.FortheGermanfootballplayerandcoach,seeMarkusBabbel. NottobeconfusedwithBabble.com. LessonNineGmbHTypeofsitePrivatelyHeldCorporationAvailable in Multilingual English(AmericanEnglish) French(EuropeanFrench) Spanish(LatinAmerican) Portuguese(Brazilian) Italian Dutch German HeadquartersBerlin,GermanyKey peopleArneSchepker(CEO),ThomasHoll(CTO),GeoffStead(CPO),JulieHansen(CEOBabbel,Inc.)IndustryE-Learning,OnlineEducationEmployees650inBerlinand30inNewYorkCity[1][2]URLwww.babbel.comRegistrationyesLaunchedAugust 2007;14 yearsago (2007-08)Current statusOnline LessonNineGmbH,operatingasBabbel,[3]isaGermansubscription-basedlanguagelearningappande-learningplatform,availableinvariouslanguagessinceJanuary2008.Fourteenlanguagesarecurrentlyoffered:Dutch,Danish,English,French,German,Indonesian,Italian,Norwegian,Polish,BrazilianPortuguese,Russian,Swedish,SpanishandTurkish. Contents 1History 2Concept 3Corporatebrandingandcampaigns 3.1Branding 3.2Campaigns 4Reception 4.1Awards 5Seealso 6References 7Externallinks History[edit] BabbelisoperatedbyLessonNineGmbHinBerlin,Germany.Babbelhasaround450full-timeemployeesandfreelancers.ThecompanyisbasedintheBerlinneighborhoodofMitte.[4] ThecompanywasfoundedinAugust2007byThomasHoll,ToineDiepstraten,LorenzHeineandMarkusWitte.[5][6][7]InJanuary2008,thelanguagelearningplatformwentonlinewithcommunityfeaturesasafreebetaversion.[8]In2008,KizooTechnologyVenturesandIBBBeteiligungsgesellschaftmbHbecameBabbel'sfirstinvestors.Then,in2009,BabbelwasgrantedroughlyonemillioneurosbytheERDFEuropeanStructuralFund.[9]Thenewproductversion,Babbel2.0,wentonlineinNovember2009.AtthattimeBabbel'sfoundersdecidedagainstanadvertisingandmixed-financemodel(freemium),optingforpaidcontent.[10] InMarch2013,BabbelacquiredSanFranciscostartupPlaySayInc.toexpandintotheUnitedStates.[11][12]Aspartoftheacquisition,PlaySayFounderandCEORyanMeinzerjoinedBabbelasastrategicadvisorforitsUSoperations.[13] InJanuary2015,BabbelopenedanofficeinNewYorkCitywiththeaimofexpandingitspresenceintheUSmarket.[14]Laterthatyear,athirdfundingroundledbyScottishEquityPartnersraisedanother$22million.[15][16]OtherparticipantsinthisroundincludepreviousinvestorsReedElsevierVentures,NokiaGrowthPartners,[17]andVCFondsTechnologyBerlin.[18][19]SinceJanuary2017,Babbel,Inc.,thecompany'sUSsubsidiary,hasbeenledbyJulieHansen,CEOU.S.[1] InNovember2018thecompanyannouncedithadsoldaround1millionsubscriptionsduringthepreviousyear.Itwasalsolaunchinganewsetofproducts,orientedattravelmarketplace.Theprojectwasgoingtolaunchin2019.[20] In2019,co-founderMarkusWittesteppeddownasCEOandwasreplacedbyArneSchepker.[21] InMarch2020,aworkscouncilwaselectedthatrepresentstheemployeesoftheBerlinoffice.[22] Concept[edit] Babbelisapremium,subscription-basedlanguagelearningappforweb,iOSandAndroid.Babbelcurrentlyoffers15differentlanguagesfromsevendisplaylanguages(German,English(US+UK),French,Spanish,BrazilianPortuguese,ItalianandSwedish).[23]Babbel'soriginallearningcontentisdevelopedin-housebyateamofover100educatorsandlinguists.[24] Therearebeginner,intermediateandgrammarcourses,vocabularylessons,aswellascourseswithtongue-twisters,idioms,colloquialisms,andsayings.Coursesforagivenlanguagemaybeaimedataspecificaudience:forinstance,Englishmaybelearnedas"PREnglish"or"MarketingEnglish." InAugust2017,BabbelannouncedthatithadpartneredwithCambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessmenttocreatealow-costonlineEnglishtest.[25][26]Thetestassessesbeginningandintermediatestudents'readingandlisteningskills(uptolevelB1andaboveoftheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages).Everytestfeaturesabout70questionsfromabankofhundredsofoptionswhich—likeBabbel'slessoncontent—reflectreal-lifecommunicativesituations,[27]includingrecordingsofradiobroadcastsandconversationsforlisteningtasks. JulietWilson,directorofassessmentatCambridgeEnglish,explainedtoProfessionalsinInternationalEducationNewsthat “...untilnowit’sbeendifficultfor[onlinelearners]toknowwhethertheyarereallylearningtherightskills,ortodemonstratetheirreallevel,”goingontosaythattheBabbelEnglishTestwould“givelearnersreliableevidenceoftheirprogressandacertificateofachievementthatdemonstrateswhattheyhavelearned.”[28] Corporatebrandingandcampaigns[edit] Branding[edit] ThewordBabbelistheimperativemoodofbabbeln,whichmeanstochatintheHessiandialectofGermanandinDutch.ItisalsoapunonthebiblicalTowerofBabel—agiganticzigguratwhoseconstructionwasinterruptedwhentheworkers'languagesweremademutuallyunintelligiblebyGod.DouglasAdamsusedthesameideainhisHitchhiker'sGuidetotheGalaxytonametheBabelfish,asymbioticfishthatservesasauniversaltranslator.BabbelisalsoahomophoneandanagramoftheEnglishverbbabble. Campaigns[edit] Babbel'scontentmarketingarmpublishesadigitalmagazinewithwrittenandvideocontentinsevendifferentlanguages.Thetopicsrangefrombehind-the-sceneslooksathowBabbellessonsarecreatedtoprofilesofBabbelcustomersandlanguagelearningtipsfromthecompany'sdidacticsteam.InNovember2016,BabbellaunchedatelevisionadcampaignintheUKandEurope.[29]TwotelevisionspotswerecreatedbytheadvertisingagencyWieden+Kennedy.SophieBodoh,CreativeDirectoratWieden+Kennedycommented,"Everyonehasdifferentmotivationsforlearningalanguage,butwerecognisedonecommontruththatappliestoeverynewlearner:Theyhavesomekindoffantasyaboutwhatitwillbeliketospeakanewlanguageconfidently.Usingthefamiliarcinematicworldsofdifferentcountries,weshowBabbelcustomersplayingouttheirownuniquelanguage-speakingfantasies."[30] Reception[edit] PCMagazinegaveBabbelamostlypositivereview,statingitwasreasonablypricedandwell-structured,butmorechallengingforbeginnersthansimilarservices.[31]TheNewYorkTimes'AliWatkinsdescribedBabbelas"approachableandsimple."[32] Awards[edit] Thelanguagelearningplatformwasoneofthefinalistsfor"BestWebApplicationorService(EMEA)"inTechCrunch'sEuropeAwards2009.[33]In2011,Babbelwasawardedthe"ComeniusEduMediaSeal"andthe"ErasmusEuroMediaSealofApproval"[34]for"BabbelforCompanies“coursestargetedatthebusinesssector.[35] In2013,Babbelreceivedthe"digita2013"awardandthe"Innovate4Society"awardatCeBIT.In2016,FastCompanyrecognizedBabbelasthemostinnovativecompanyineducation.[36] Seealso[edit] Duolingo Languageeducation Computer-assistedlanguagelearning Listoflanguageself-studyprograms References[edit] ^abNicola,Stefan(January12,2017)."Germany'sBabbelAddsEx-BusinessInsiderExecutiveinU.S.Push".Bloomberg. ^Iszler,Madison(August28,2015)."EuropeanLanguage-LearningStartupChallengesRosettaStone,Duolingo".Forbes. ^"LessonNineGmbH".Bloomberg.Retrieved2020-07-17. ^Li,Charmaine(February3,2015)."MeetBabbel,thestartupthathas100,000peopledownloadingitslanguage-learningappseveryday".Tech.eu. ^Swan,David(July4,2017)."BabbelmaysetupofficeinAustralia".TheAustralianBusinessReview.RetrievedApril19,2018. ^"BabbelfoundertalkslanguagelearningandthechallengesoftheUSmarket–TechCrunch".techcrunch.com.Retrieved2018-04-19. ^"Babbelsecuresfundingforlanguagelearning".techcrunch.com.Retrieved2021-09-22. ^Slagel,Jake(March7,2016)."InterviewwithBabbelfounderandCEOMarkusWitte".TheYoungBusinessmen. ^"Babbelblog:NewFundingforaNewBabbel".Archivedfromtheoriginalon2018-06-20.Retrieved2018-04-19. ^"Top50Education:CompanyProfileonBabbel".FastCompany.2016. ^DiStefano,JosephN.(March21,2013)."BabbelbuysPlaySay".PhiladelphiaMediaNetwork. ^Leach,Anna(March22,2013)."BerlinE-LearningStartupBabbelBuysOutSanFranciscoRival".TheWallStreetJournal. ^Murph,Darren(March21,2013)."BabbelacquiresPlaySayinbidtobolsterUSlanguagelearningpresence".Engadget. ^"BabbelOpensOfficesintheUnitedStates".Babbel.January28,2015. ^England,Lucy(July9,2015)."GermanstartupBabbelhasraised$22milliontohelppeoplelearnnewlanguages".BusinessInsider. ^Loeb,Steven(July8,2015)."LanguagelearningstartupBabbelraises$22M".Vator. ^"BabbelRaises$22million".NokiaGrowthPartners.July2015. ^Sawers,Paul(July8,2015)."Babbelraises$22Mtohelpgrowitslanguage-learningplatformintheAmericas".VentureBeat. ^Lardinois,Frederic(July8,2015)."BabbelRaises$22MSeriesCRoundForItsLanguageLearningService".TechCrunch. ^"LanguagelearningappBabbelsold1MUSsubscriptionsthisyear,movesintolanguagetravel".TechCrunch.Retrieved2018-12-03. ^"FounderoflanguagelearningplatformBabbelstepsdownasco-CEOtofocusonboardrole".TechCrunch.Retrieved2019-11-18. ^""Beyondquitting"-EmployeesatBabbelelectaworkscouncil".IGMetallBerlin.2020-03-13.Retrieved2021-02-20. ^"AboutBabbel".Babbel. ^Strathmann,Marvin(March9,2016)."AlleinezurFremdsprache".DieZeit. ^"CambridgeEnglishpartnerswithBabbeltocreatelow-costonlineEnglishtest". ^"BabbelteamsupwithCambridgeEnglishtolaunchnewlanguagetest". ^"BabbelteamsupwithCambridgeEnglishtolaunchnewlanguagetest". ^"CambridgedevelopsnewdigitalEnglishlanguagetest". ^MacLeod,Duncan(November2,2016)."BabbelSpeakTheLanguage".TheInspirationRoom. ^"Babbel-"TinyWhale"".AdForum. ^"ReviewofBabbel".PCMagazine.September15,2016. ^Watkins,Ali(3October2019)."PoliceDataandtheCitizenApp:PartnersinCrimeCoverage".TheNewYorkTimes.Retrieved3November2019.IjustrecentlydownloadedthelanguageappBabbeltolearnFrench.I’mlatetothelanguageappworld,butwhatagamechanger.Iknowit’snotperfect,buttheBabbellessonsareapproachableandsimple.IlovethatIcanknockoutalessononmymorningcommute. ^Butcher,Mike(July9,2009)."TheEuropas:TheWinnersandFinalists".TechCrunch. ^"EuropeanSocietyforEducationandCommunication".EuromediaAwards.October10,2014.Retrieved2015-12-22. ^"BabbelforBusiness".Babbel.Archivedfromtheoriginalon2012-01-05.CS1maint:bot:originalURLstatusunknown(link) ^"TheMostInnovativeCompaniesof2016bySector".FastCompany. Externallinks[edit] Babbel.com Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Babbel&oldid=1050158377" Categories:MultilingualwebsitesSocialnetworkinglanguage-learningwebsitesInternetpropertiesestablishedin2007WikisGermaneducationalwebsitesHiddencategories:CS1maint:bot:originalURLstatusunknownArticleswithapromotionaltonefromJuly2021AllarticleswithapromotionaltoneArticleswithwikipufferyArticleswithshortdescriptionShortdescriptionmatchesWikidataArticlescontainingGerman-languagetext Navigationmenu Personaltools NotloggedinTalkContributionsCreateaccountLogin Namespaces ArticleTalk Variants expanded collapsed Views ReadEditViewhistory More expanded collapsed Search Navigation MainpageContentsCurrenteventsRandomarticleAboutWikipediaContactusDonate Contribute HelpLearntoeditCommunityportalRecentchangesUploadfile Tools WhatlinkshereRelatedchangesUploadfileSpecialpagesPermanentlinkPageinformationCitethispageWikidataitem Print/export DownloadasPDFPrintableversion Languages العربيةCatalàDeutschEspañolFrançaisBahasaIndonesiaItalianoPortuguêsУкраїнська Editlinks