Learning languages without lessons or teachers

The mobile phone app "7ling" offers the possibility to learn the basics of a foreign language in a new environment without lessons or a teacher. Researchers at the Institute of German as a Foreign Language Philology and the Institute for Translation and Interpreting of Heidelberg University were substantially involved in its development. The free app for mobile devices is especially aimed at migrants and refugees, and offers users the opportunity to teach themselves the basics of six European languages. The method is based on practical exercises and units focusing on everyday situations. The app arose out of XCELING, a joint project on foreign language teaching supported by an international network of European and Egyptian universities. The app comprises lessons for learning English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The units with listening exercises and dialogues simulate situations from daily life, like an appointment with the doctor, going shopping or looking for accommodation.