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| Type of site | Social network service |
|---|---|
| Available in | American English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Esperanto, Estonian, Persian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Urdu |
| Owner | Livemocha LLC. |
| URL | http://livemochas.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required for some services |
| Launched | 24 Sep 2007 |
Livemocha (www.livemochas.com) is committed to creating a world in which every human being is fluent in several languages.
As the largest online language learning community in the world, Livemocha combines traditional learning methods with online practice and interaction with native language speakers from around the world. Livemocha offers an unparalleled learning experience that promises conversational fluency. Since its launch in 2007, the Livemocha community has grown to more than 14 million members in more than 195 countries, highlighting the international demand for an engaging and collaborative approach to language learning. Today, Livemocha was reborn after the system closed by another company, but a developer decided to continue the main idea, so we are recreating Livemocha to improve and be the best language learning network in the world, so we say that our network never will be charged and will never be sold or closed; we will be maintained by voluntary donations from our members. Create a Livemocha account
Basic courses
Livemocha supported 38 languages: English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Estonian, Persian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Esperanto, which was the most recent addition.
The site could be viewed in 12 different languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
Free basic courses were offered in all the above languages, consisting of roughly 30–50 hours of coursework. Several languages, like Lithuanian and Brazilian Portuguese, were first added to Livemocha through the process of "Member Translation": members fluent in two or more languages could translate already available course materials into their native tongue and publish the results on the site, with other users rating and improving the translations.
Active courses
More advanced courses—called "Active Courses"—were available in five languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. These courses required a monthly or annual fee and were intended to achieve conversational fluency. Instead of signing up for one particular course, users could opt to purchase the "Gold Key" which granted unlimited access to premium or paid content. The active courses proceeded through four levels of proficiency, and included reading, writing, speaking, and listening exercises.
Peer feedback
Each reviewer earned 20 tokens for reviewing a user's submission. The reviewer could earn an extra 10 tokens for the first review of the passage or conversation. The writing was rated using three criteria: spelling, proficiency, and grammar. The speaking was rated using two criteria: pronunciation and proficiency. Each submission from a basic course for peer review cost 120 tokens.
Member reviews
Completed exercises from both basic and active courses could be sent out for review by other members (native or fluent speakers), who provided feedback and tips. Members could also pay for "Expert Reviews" from language teachers that had been certified by Livemocha for 120 tokens. The user could rate the quality of these reviews, and choose to work with a particular expert reviewer. Private instruction sessions, conducted via video chat with a selected tutor, were also available for purchase.
Members earned "Mochapoints" by completing exercises and reviewing other people's submissions. These points are not to be confused with the tokens. The tokens were earned for rating other people's submissions, or from paying a set fee in real life currency for a certain number of tokens. Mochapoints were a way to keep track of one's progress and to compare the amount of time a user has put into the website compared to others. A user gained Mochapoints for entering submissions, grading other people's submissions, chatting with other users, etc. They could not be spent for content access in the same way that the tokens could be.
Language learning and social networks
Livemocha called itself the largest language learning community in the world. In many ways it operated like a social networking site, and the basic ethos of the system was peer-to-peer: registered members could engage in synchronous and asynchronous communication, make a personal profile, connect with a circle of friends, upload content (there was a page dedicated to cultural exchange), contribute translations and help expand the base of available languages, and review other members’ work, such as recorded dialogues from lessons. It was referred to as "the Facebook of foreign languages," and its potential impact on conventional language teaching compared to that of Misplaced Pages on the traditional encyclopedia. One reviewer of the site observed, "With its unparalleled ability to connect people throughout the world, is changing the way that many people learn languages. There is still no way to avoid the hard slog through vocabulary lists and grammar rules, but the books, tapes and even CDs of yesteryear are being replaced by e-mail, video chats and social networks."
Partnership in Brazil
In September 2011, Livemocha announced a partnership with the Brazilian education company Abril Educação, part of the media conglomerate Grupo Abril, which purchased a 5.9% stake in the company. Abril Educação promoted Livemocha to consumers and organizations throughout Brazil, with the aim of catering to the rising demand for language education and helping the country prepare to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. In January 2011, Livemocha announced an agreement with Telefônica Brasil to offer its Internet customers discounted pricing on Livemocha's English courses.
Public libraries
Access to Livemocha's courses was available for free through a number of public libraries in the US that subscribe to the site, including the Seattle Public Library.
Finance
Livemocha was a privately held company. In 2011, it raised 5 million dollars in venture capital. In previous years it raised 14 million dollars from investors August Capital and Maveron.
See also
References
- "Livemocha.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
- Myers, Aaron G. (February 21, 2011). "Best Language Learning Resources: Livemocha". The Everyday Language Learner. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Posgate, Natalie (November 9, 2011). "Learn a new language through social media, the Web, or mobile apps". The Daily Campus. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- "Livemocha Review". TopTenREVIEWS. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Wayner, Peter (July 28, 2010). "Learning a Language from an Expert, on the Web". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Gill, Martha (September 9, 2011). "Brazil: Learning Inglês by Internet". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Winkler, Kirsten (September 5, 2011). "Abril Educacao buys 5.9% of Livemocha—Building English Learning Platform for Brazil's Middle Class". Edukwest. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Cook, John. "Livemocha inks marketing pact with Telefonica Brazil". TechFlash. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Cook, John. "Livemocha opens door on language learning at Seattle Public Library". GeekWire. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Lamm, Greg. "LiveMocha raises $5M". TechFlash. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- "Livemocha Secures $6 Million in Venture Capital Series A Funding Led by Maveron: Funding to Accelerate Popular Language Learning Site’s Functionality and Growth", http://www.livemocha.com/pages/pr/01152008, January 15, 2008. Accessed 18 April 2008.
- "Livemocha Bags Another $8 Million From August Capital, Maveron", https://techcrunch.com/2009/12/22/livemocha-series-b-funding/
Further reading
- Jee, Min Jung; Park, Min Jung (2009). "Livemocha as an Online Language-Learning Community" (PDF). CALICO Journal. 26 (2): 448–56. doi:10.1558/cj.v26i2.448-456. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- Venkatanathan, Jayant (2009). "Help Me Learn! : Disparities in the Distribution of Languages in the Livemocha Community" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- Clark, Cameron; Gruba, Paul (2010). "The Use of Social Networking Sites for Foreign Language Learning: An Autoethnographic Study of Livemocha". In Steel, C. H.; Keppell, M. J.; Gerbic, P.; et al. (eds.). Curriculum, Technology & Transformation for an Unknown Future. pp. 164–73.
{{cite book}}: External link in|chapterurl=|chapterurl=ignored (|chapter-url=suggested) (help) - Wayner, Peter (July 28, 2010). "Learning a Language From an Expert, on the Web". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
- Liaw, Meei-Ling (February 2011). "Review of Livemocha" (PDF). Language Learning & Technology. 15 (1). Retrieved 4 January 2012.