Saturday 13 September 2014

Introducing Hellotalk App

If you are interested to learn foreign languages and are looking for a platform to practice your newly acquired language, here's an app that you won't want to miss.

Hellotalk app


I discovered this app because I am self learning Korean and was looking for ways to improve it. There are many platforms out there like language exchange websites but I found this Hellotalk app extremely user friendly and useful. Here are some of the interesting features of this app:

1. To date, it is free of charge and without any advertisement.

2. It enables you to practice language exchange with native speakers. You can narrow your search to look for locals by filtering their nationality and/or native language, If you would like to find someone near your region, you can do that too by adjusting the search settings. 

3. It has useful language exchange functions such as translations, language correcting features and voice message function. The language correcting feature is unique. You or your partner just need to tap on the language correction button, and the wrong sentences would appear on the screen. Delete the wrong part of the sentence and replace it with the correct one. This feature will then display the correction process as well as the final corrected sentences just like when you turn on your mark-up function in Microsoft Word. It is very clear which part of the sentences are incorrect and you will learn a lot from this function. I think this function is really unique and useful. 

Sample screenshot of Hellotalk (from Google image)


4. You can contact any member for free. So in a way, it also acts as a social networking app. Besides learning each other's languages, it is also a good platform to get to know foreign friends and share our culture. 

Sample screenshot of Hellotalk (from Google image)

5. There is also a doodle function which I like a lot. If you and your partner could not understand each other, you can make use of the doodle function and draw whatever object that both of you are unsure of. It also allows you to import photos and draw on it. This comes in handy when you want to pin point to your friend a particular location on a map.

There are many more functions but I will leave it for you to check them out. Through this app, I managed to learn many practical Korean words that are not taught in text books and also make new friends. Another friend of mine whom I introduced this app to just had his foreign friend coming over to visit him and the three of us had a good time touring around Sentosa for a day. 

So, if you are interested to learn foreign languages and practice with native speakers, I highly recommend Hellotalk. But please use it with a good purpose and not exploiting it as a dating app. No one can stop you from that but it defeats the noble purpose of this free and user friendly app and I am sure it won't be sustainable if you misuse it. 

As it is a free app without advertisement, they are only relying on word of mouth and translation purchases to sustain this app. I hope to do a small part in helping them to sustain this app so if you find this app useful, please do share it with your friends too :)

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