busuu.com | the language learning community

New review types and customizable tests available on busuu.com

We are continuously improving our language learning platform and today we have launched some great new functionalities.

First of all, we have added two new review types to our exams. Apart from the 5 existing ways to test your language skills you will now find a review type where you have to create a word out of several letters (like in Scrabble). Additionally, there is a second new review type where you have to match phrases with the correct translation. Please find below screen shots of the new review types:

                  Create a word:                                        Match the phrases:

With this interactive and complete language exams, busuu.com will test your vocabulary knowledge, your writing skills, your listening comprehension and your understanding of the syntax. All this in currently five different languages comprising more than 3,500 vocabularies in each of those languages.

Additionally, we offer now the possibility to create your own customized review! This great new functionality is only available if you are a premium user.

You now have the possibility to create your own individual test by choosing the content and the review type you want. You first decide to be tested either on specific units, on your mistakes or on your marked vocabulary. You then choose among our 7 different review types.

With this new functionality you train only specific skills according to your individual needs! You find your customizable review in your language area - try it out now!

We are convinced that those new tools will further boost your language skills! Stay tuned, more exciting features are about to be launched very soon!

busuu.com partners with leading European language learning publisher PONS

Today is a very important day in the history of busuu.com – we are pleased to announce a new partnership with PONS, one of Europe´s leading language learning publishers!

PONS, based in Stuttgart and belonging to Germany´s second largest publishing house Klett Group, develops for already more than 30 years language learning material and dictionaries. PONS offers more than 500 dictionaries and language material for various skill levels from beginners to professional users – and that in over 35 languages from Arabic to Turkish.

As a first step within this partnership, we will offer exhaustive PONS Grammar Guides fully integrated into our existing learning material. The PONS Grammar Guides provide you with detailed grammar explanations and are directly linked to our existing grammar units. From now on, by clicking on the new PONS button within the grammar units you will receive detailed explanations about this corresponding grammar topic.

Additionally, you can directly access the PONS Grammar Guides directly via the new PONS tab you will find in your language area.

The new PONS Grammar Guides are currently available for German and Spanish native speakers learning English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. In the near future we are planning to launch the guides as well for all other native speakers of our fast growing community.

The Grammar Guides are just the first step of this strategic partnership. we are planning to co-develop business courses and courses for advanced speakers together with PONS which will be launched in the near future.

We from busuu.com are very proud to partner up with such a renowned brand within the language learning industry. The expertise of PONS will further enhance the language learning experience of our users and we are looking forward to exciting new features and material to be offered very soon on our website!

PS: Take advantage now of our 10% off introductory discount by using the promotion code: JAN2010 when upgrading your account - only valid until end of January 2010!

busuu.com nominated for the BBVA Open Talent Competition

busuu.com has been selected to participate in the prestigious Spanish BBVA Open Talent Competition.

This competition is organized by BBVA, the second biggest bank in Spain and it rewards innovative internet start-ups. Therefore we need your support – please vote for us by clicking the “Vote” button below or following this link.

The voting ends on the 31st of January – we will keep you updated about the results. Many thanks in advance!

Update: busuu.com collaborates with NGO in Cameroon

As you probably already know, in September 2009 we won the European Language Label for innovative projects in language learning.

The award was compensated with 1,500 EUR, which we donated to the Cameroon Association for the Protection and Education of the Child. The money was used to construct a classroom for underprivileged children.

The work has now been finished, and we are very proud that we could make our small contribution.

Christmas is the perfect time to help others, so if you are also interested in supporting the impressive work done by CAPEC, you can find more information here. You can collaborate in several ways like sponsoring a child for a school year, financing summer programs for the orphans, or even volunteering in their school as a teacher.

We already wish all of you, the team of CAPEC and the little children from their school a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

busuu.com collaborates with IE Business School

busuu.com is proud to announce a new partnership agreement with IE Business School based in Madrid.

From today, all new MBA students will receive a six-month premium membership with busuu.com sponsored by IE Business School.

This collaboration is a very important milestone for our young company! 
Since our launch in May 2008, busuu.com is now able to provide a high standard and awarded language learning system used not only by more than 200,000 individuals but now also by top ranked universities.

In the case of IE, busuu.com perfectly meets the specific needs of their MBA students. 90% come from outside of Spain and many are interested in learning Spanish during their 13-month MBA. busuu.com provides them with the 6-month premium membership prior to the start of the program. This means that the students already have the chance to improve their Spanish skills even when they are still in their home countries worldwide. By the time they arrive in Spain, they have already acquired the necessary skills and may even have made contacts with our Spanish users via our platform, providing a “soft landing” in their new base country.

IE Business School once again takes the lead as one of the most innovative business schools around the world. For many years, IE has been ranked among the top Business Schools worldwide. It is currently ranked as No. 1 Business School in the World according to the Wall Street Journal and No. 3 in Europe according to the Financial Times. Without doubt, this school belongs to the international educational elite. IE clearly understands the needs of its students and the advantages of our innovative learning system.

Although we know the excellence of IE very well – both of the founders of busuu.com are alumni of this school and the whole idea of busuu.com evolved during our MBA - we were impressed by the speed of implementation and their deep understanding and interest in new technologies.

As Santiago Iñiguez, Dean of IE Business School, stated: “We are very glad to offer this highly innovative form of language learning to our MBA students. Apart from the excellent fit with the needs of our students, busuu.com is the perfect example of successful start-ups created in our school.”

We recently produced a video with IE to talk about our “life after our MBA”, which we would like to share with you:

So finally we would like to thank IE Business School for their belief in our learning system, we warmly welcome all new MBA students to busuu.com and we are looking forward to more collaboration partnerships of this kind.