uugot.it - learning languages while watching TV

82% learn languages from watching TV - we're improving that

People are already using TV to learn or improve foreign languages. Maybe you too have been in the situation of watching a movie in original language in order to improve your language skills. Then you're not alone: according to a study by Kaplan International 82% of the people learned English by watching TV. uugot.it's goal it to improve that.

But there's a drawback: in case you adopt this technique in order to learn or improve languages via watching TV, you'll need to look up manually the words you do not understand. This can be quite stressful: Watching TV, noting down the words you don't understand plus looking them up in a dictionary leads to the fact that you'll miss a lot of the content. So the idea of uugot.it was conceived when other people too told us that they're facing the same challenge.

How does uugot.it actually work?

At uugot.it TV channels will be streamed to the Smartphone or Tablet and we're adding interactive subtitles. All you need is

• Smartphone or Tablet
• uugot.it app

...to start learning languages while watching TV via uugot.it. Besides interactive subtitles will be added. In case a word will not be understood you may click on it: by doing so, it will be immediately translated into your mother tongue and each word you've clicked on will be stored in a learning section within your uugot.it app. After you've finished watching TV via uugot.it, you can look up the words you've stored and start learning with your individualized learning content.

But uugot.it is even more: 

uugot.it helps with Integration

Understanding a language is a first step for a successful integration. Since this summer the persistent tide of refugees has led to the situation that German language courses are booked out for months and we, the citizens of the host countries, are facing the challenge and the obligation to integrate those people who arrived and escaped from terror, rapture and war. TV can play an important part as it facilitates culture and gives an insight in our lives here. Therefore uugot.it enables that people who come here understand what moves the society of their host country and it helps them seeing things from a different angle. Therefore uugot.it helps create connecting points, thus becomes an ideal tool for integration.

You're eager to hear more? Get into details (but first, please become a fan of our project here on respekt.net and like the <link www.facebook.com/uugot.it/ _blank>Facebook page</link> - Thank you!).

Social goals of uugot.it

Via uugot.it we're facing different societal challenges and offer solutions for integration, the decrease of social conflicts, a better neighbourship and inclusion.

Integration

| local and foreign TV program will become understandable |

uugot.it is an integration tool: as local TV is not or hardly understandable for migrants and it is broadcasted in a foreign language - via uugot.it they can follow the program more easily. With uugot.it we enable that the world of experience of the local society will be perceived and what moves the local culture can be understood, as well as the concerns and worries the host society deals with but also which customs they retain, or what they laugh about. The host, the unknown being, can be analysed excellently and one learns how to deal better with the new homeland. As a sideline the language of the host country will be trained - the standard language as well as the dialect.

Building Bridges

| Dissemination through "barrage" |

Just developing an understanding of the inhabitants of the host country is too narrowly considered to create a basis of coexistence without friction. There need to be measures that local population will open by themselves. In a further stage of development, the local citizens can approach the migrants and help them on an individual basis to improve their language skills. Thereby the technical barrier helps the population reduce resistance towards the unknown and gives each migrant a picture - this could be a first step towards the opening of society.

Does uugot.it really help learning a language?

We wanted to know that exactly: that's why we have commissioned the university of Vienna to carry out a research study with the topic "Untertitel als Sprachlernwerkzeug" (Subtitles as a tool for language learning). This study, which has been carried out under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Boeckmann, came to the result that the approach of uugot.it substantially improves the acquisition of languages. As a small number of studies cannot report positive effects when using subtitles for language learning, the majority of research studies came to another offspring.

But not only language skills will be significantly improved - In addition to that, further positive effects have been reported: TV as a source for language learning leads to a very motivational learning environment - Krashen's theory of the "Rule of forgetting", on which uugot.it builds up says that users seem to "forget" they're learning because they're enjoying what they do and they're having fun, so the entire learning process comes easier and the information acquired are retained longer. Along with that also the improvement of reading competences have been reported. uugot.it users learn in a surrounding which motivates them to improve foreign language skills as they are doing what they love to do: watching TV.

How do we work?

uugot.it stands for open interchange. We love languages and different cultural backgrounds. That may also be the reason that all co-founders come from different countries with different mother tongues. A setting like this enriches everyone of us and it helps to view things from a different angle. We see every person who applies himself/herself at uugot.it as an enrichment for what we're doing. As a matter of fact we're looking for people with an international background to join the team so that it stays colourful and international. By doing that we do not only achieve the goal of expanding our own language horizon, but it would also help implementing different points of view from different countries and cultures: Our main goal is to build bridges. Social romanticism? No! A product like uugot.it needs to set an example in the microcosm of how cross-border and cross-language collaboration works. Of course this is something we’re still learning ourselves, but openness, open communication and embracing someone with open arms are our principles.

A movement - become part of it

In order to reach our goals we're working on uugot.it, seeking for solutions together with broadcasters and including schools, friendly societies and helping hands in our development. Our vision is that via uugot.it a movement will be created and as a first step we want to make a learning hub out of uugot.it. In case you share that vision we're happy that you participate in order to reach that goal.

Your HELP helps - Support us

We would love to realize uugot.it in seven-league boots but we need to follow the way of small steps. For this reason we have structured our funding goals into small steps. As soon as the threshold value of a certain step has been reached we are able to realize the funding steps quicker. Additionally, all of our funders get an exclusive access to uugot.it and you will be involved in the development process as we're eager to know what you want to have next in the product. We also ask you for feedback as we want you to love using uugot.it. 

Funding Steps

What can we achieve together? It starts with the first step...

10.500 EUR 

18.000 EUR

30.000 EUR

48.000 EUR

75.000 EUR

110.000+ EUR

Help us and become part of it. The name of every supporter who donates at least 6 EUR will be put on uugot.it website, every supporter donating more than 22 EUR will receive a personal thank-you letter. Those who support us with more than 66 EUR will receive unlimited access to uugot.it App - for a lifetime.

Thank you so much!

We may not have answered all of your questions. We're answering open questions from you to the extend deemed possible and we're trying to expand these sections here then.

One more plea to all donators: Please unfold your email address via respekt.net so that we can keep you informed about the current standing of our development. In case you prefer to send us your email personally please drop us a line via <link ask_uu@uugot.it>ask_uu@uugot.it</link>

uugot.it will be developed under the aegis of Verein fürSPRACHE, a public charity that develops concepts for a better linguistic and cultural integration of migrants. fürSPRACHE initiates studies together with universities and other research institutions.