an application made in Toulouse to improve your English
Élodie Destruel, director of the World Academy language training center in Toulouse, is launching Spÿk: a mobile application to improve your English anywhere, anytime, by talking by phone with bilingual coaches or native speakers of English-speaking countries.
“To learn a language, you just need to practice it regularly,” explains Élodie Destruel, director of the World Academy language training center in Toulouse. It is for this reason that it launched, on March 1, Spÿk : an application dedicated to learning English.
This platform aims to connect learners with “coaches”, bilingual or native to English-speaking countries (such as the United States or England), during telephone discussion sessions to be done anywhere and anytime. “Some of the coaches are trainers or former trainers of the World Academy, the other part is acquaintances who have agreed to participate in the project”, specifies the founder of the application.
Chat like “with an English friend”
After going through the registration stage, you will get to the list of coaches available to schedule a session or to do it immediately. If the coach accepts your request, you will receive a notification. Then he contacts you at the agreed time.
“The sessions are not formal. They smoke the form of spontaneous discussions, as if you were talking to an English-speaking friend. You choose the themes selected, then the coach, you follow up, you ask questions, etc. It is an effective method for improving the fluidity of the language,” notes Élodie Destruel.
In addition, this learning format aims to relieve learners of their pronunciation or their lack of vocabulary in Englishthe coaches remaining at their disposal to help them.
“Filling the lack of language practice”
“There is a real lack of oral practice of English at school. Almost all of the courses are written,” laments Élodie Destruel. However, during a trip or a professional meeting, it is indeed the spoken word that is used. “To write an email, there are enough translators on the Internet. But for speak English face to faceit’s a little more complicated to get out of it, ”she summarizes.
The advantage of the application: the possibility of scheduling sessions at any time, without having to plan the appointment in advance. “People who work cannot predict when they will be available or not to go to a training center. They also don’t have the time or the inclination to go to class between noon and two o’clock or after a day’s work. With Spÿk, it is possible to chat with a coach in the evening or on Sundaysit’s really an offer that complements what already exists”, comments the trainer.
Coach Son Evaluator
Following the sessions, it is possible to improve your coach. In particular thanks to a “star” system, like the one used on the majority of community platforms. “If a coach falls below three out of five stars, he is replaced. The quality of the exchanges is one of the priorities of the application. It must be respected,” emphasizes Élodie Destruel.
In addition, the founder of Spÿk wishes to develop relations with new English-speaking coaches in the near future, but also, in the longer term, Spanish, Italian or even German to deepen the learning of new languages.
The Spÿk application is available for free on google play and Apple Store. Nevertheless, exchanges with coaches have a cost. Count from 19 euros for an isolated session of 30 minutes, to 2,940 euros for an annual package including coaching per day.
To register, all you have to do is enter some personal information, choose your learning formula, then find your language level. If you do not know it, a test of about ten minutes is offered to you to evaluate it.