Not enough can be said about the challenges that tour and activity operator businesses face right now. They are the small businesses on the front line of the coronavirus travel ban, and many of those who own, operate, or hope to resume working for one of these companies might be at an utter loss as to what to do during the time of “corona quarantine.” We at Redeam do not have the answers. We empathize. But we do have ideas, and we’ll try to put them forth as we all march forward into this fight together.

Today’s idea is about the ability to attract and serve more international customers. Though English is the universal language, being able to deliver an experience in the visitor’s native tongue can go a long way in differentiating your business from your competitors’. Why not use this downtime to learn a new language or gain fluency in one you learned long ago?

Here are some useful tools and platforms to gain and improve your new language skills:

DIY

• Duolingo – free, ad-supported, gamified learning tool that takes you through “bite-sized” lessons based on levels and categories. It has 35 languages it can teach an English speaker (including Klingon, in beta!).
• Memrise – a free browser and app-based program based on conversational memorization with a focus on user engagement and fun
• Rosetta Stone – a fee-based browser and mobile app solution. It focuses on proper pronunciation and immersive teaching
• Babbel – a fee-based browser and mobile app solution that claims to avoid rote memorization in favor of making sense of how a words and sentences of a language are constructed and used.
• Busuu Mobile – a DIY on-demand version of Busuu (see below)
• FluentU – language learning that incorporates real-world videos like movie trailers, music videos, news, and inspiring talks for context
• Fluent Forever – a fee-based solution, originally available in book form and now in an app. Its method is rooted in flashcard creation, spaced repetition, vocabulary through images, and grammar through stories
• News in Slow – Browser and app fee-based solution, only available in 5 languages. News in Slow ups your game from basic language to how it’s used in actual news, read very slowly.

Assisted

• Busuu – machine driven language learning lessons enhanced by feedback from native speakers
• HelloTalk – a free mobile app that lets you text with native language speakers who can correct and teach you their language
• HiNative – a free global Q&A browser- and app-based platform focused on asking and answering language and grammar questions with native speakers around the world.
• Speaky – a social network to learn languages and meet people around the world.
• Wyzant – indicate your language and find a private tutor, paying only for what you need, Classes can be online or in-person, depending on the student’s preference (online would be the obvious default at this moment)

Redeam is a global technology company that empowers the growth of tours, attractions, and activities so that more people can enjoy the world. Redeam is the only global experiences and entertainment-centric technology company with an INDEPENDENT channel manager solution connecting Supply and Demand. Redeam enables the seamless and automated passing of product and booking data back and forth between Operators and Distributors, thereby enabling the sale of more tickets, a better check-in process for guests, elimination of operational strain caused by too many manual processes or fraud, and improves payment reconciliation timelines.