10 Years of Mondly | 10 Stories – Story 3: There’s Soul in a Language

Language skills are there to be used — not just in a classroom, but in real-life situations.  

Anyone who’s lived or traveled abroad has experienced that “I did it!” feeling when you manage to ask directions, order in a restaurant, or introduce yourself.  

But other apps on the market weren’t meeting that need, so the Mondly team set out to create a truly engaging, immersive learning experience.  

Shaking up the market 

When it came to content and teaching methods, there were three things Mondly wanted to do differently.   

The first was creating practical topics. Rather than abstract phrases, Mondly lessons were themed around the everyday situations learners would find themselves in like going to the supermarket or checking in at a hotel.  

The second was to bring to life the “music of a language”, as Co-Founder Tudor Iliescu describes it.  

Competitors had been relying on computer-generated voices to teach pronunciation. But there’s “a soul in a language,” echoes Co-Founder Alex Iliescu, “listening to the real voice of someone speaking, it adds something”.  

Lastly, it was about bringing together that thematic vocab and experience listening to real speakers with a focus on conversation.  

Turning to technology  

Alex and Tudor explored different ways technology could shake up the learning experience.  

In the early apps, they’d used the iPhone’s microphone and speech recognition to make language learning more conversational and engaging.  

Always striving to be the best, the team challenged themselves to take Mondly’s interactivity and focus on conversation to the next level.  

They started developing Chatbot.  

 Inspired by an algorithm 

“The chatbot started as a proof of concept project — we were just trying out an algorithm that a colleague had read about,” remembers Alex Negrila, Principal Developer & Technical Lead.  

Seeing its potential, the founders decided to invest, putting the project into production.  

“It wasn’t fancy, but it worked”, he continued. “We brought in a colleague to focus on the content. She added more phrases, and it gradually evolved into something important”.  

A world first 

In August 2016, Mondly launched the first chatbot for language learning.  

Available across iOS, Android, and the web, it was a world first, setting a new standard for interactive digital learning.  

Capable of understanding millions of phrases, users can type or speak to the chatbot in 33 languages. 

Covering a range of everyday scenarios, it was the first step towards a more personalized, adaptive, and on-demand language learning experience.   

Leading the way 

Mondly’s popularity skyrocketed, passing 10 million downloads in summer 2016 and being crowned “Best New App” by Apple in September 2016.  

Mondly was setting the pace when it came to incorporating the latest technology into language learning, and the dedicated team of just 14 people already had their eyes on the next innovation.  

A new toy 

“Oculus is launching this new VR headset — let’s try it, let’s buy it” — Co-Founder Alex.  

The Mondly office had a new toy… and a new goal.  

Virtual Reality (VR) opened up the possibility of creating a new, immersive experience that would engage learners and better prepare them for real-world conversations.  

Just six months after the chatbot launched, Mondly launched a VR app for Oculus and Gear VR.  

Users could transport themselves to a train in Tokyo or a hotel in Hanover to practice their language skills in context without even leaving the house. 

By combining technology with real-world context, Mondly had brought the fun back to language learning.  

And there was a new audience that really appreciated a fun approach to learning.  

Mondly Kids  

Becoming comfortable or even fluent in a language takes time, and the languages we learn in childhood often stay with us for life.  

Creating an app for everyone meant giving kids the opportunity to experience language learning the Mondly way too.  

In May 2017, the Mondly Kids app was launched for iOS and Android.  

With bright illustrations and fun sound effects, kids could work their way through relevant topics like food, animals, and colors in 33 languages.  

The team had gamified the experience, getting children engaged in language learning by earning points in order to level up in the app.  

Parents could choose the language and difficulty level, tracking their child’s progress in the statistics section.  

A name to notice   

In less than a year, Mondly had launched a chatbot, a VR app, and a dedicated children’s language learning app.   

By June 2017, more than 20 million people had downloaded the app, and its engaging, fun approach to learning didn’t go unrecognized.  

Named “App of the Year” in EMEA by Facebook in July, Mondly was also “Editors’ Choice” in Google Play in October 2017 with Mondly Kids winning the same title and “Best of 2017” by Google Play in December.  

Mondly’s product and impact had expanded, and so had the team. The 16-strong team relocated to an office in the center of Brașov.  

“We went outside and watched the Mondly sign being put on the building,” remembers Alex Negrila. 

“Young people would be able to walk past and recognize the brand, maybe they’d be interested in joining us.  

“I remember looking up at this big Mondly sign thinking ‘this is going to matter’.” 

— Read the next story in our 10-part series: Sometimes Google is Wrong

THE MILESTONES 

• First chatbot for language learning & 10 million downloads (Aug 2016) 

• Apple award: “Best New App” (Sept 2016) 

• Mondly VR launch (Feb 2017)

• 15 million downloads (Feb 2017)

• Mondly Kids launch (May 2017) 

• “App of the Year” in EMEA by Facebook (July 2017) 

• “Editors’ Choice” in Google Play (Oct 2017) 

• 16 employees (Nov 2017) 

• Mondly Kids, “Best of 2017” by Google Play (Dec 2017)