Released on: December 9, 2007, 11:34 pm

Press Release Author: italki.com

Industry: Internet & Online

Press Release Summary: The website that\'s on every language student\'s lips is set to
empower even more learners

Press Release Body: SHANGHAI, China - December 10, 2007 - In the year since it went
live, italki.com has transformed language learning for thousands of people across
the globe. The groundswell from word-of-mouth recommendations by italki\'s 100,000
users, empowered by the social network features on the site, has reached the tipping
point. Now the site is pushing online learning to the next level with a major
relaunch.

\"I took English for ten years, but could not say one sentence,\" is a phrase the
founders, Yongyue Jiang and Kevin Chen, had heard from frustrated language learners.
Fixing this problem was what drove them to create their language-learning social
network, italki.com.

The site\'s relaunch, on December 10, carries forward their dream of harnessing Web
2.0 technology to make language learning free for all, and to eliminate the time
wasted on ineffective language learning methods.

By creating a social network of language learners, italki established a platform for
students to learn from and encourage each other. In a \"language exchange,\" students
pair up with their counterparts from other countries to teach each other their
native languages. By using the latest video and voice-enabled instant messengers,
students can start speaking, writing, and communicating with one another - at no
cost.

\"Some sites focus on Western countries because their market research tells them
that\'s where the money is. We\'re interested in building a truly global community
where every language and country is represented,\" says Chen.

italki.com will support eleven languages (English, Chinese, Spanish, French, German,
Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Korean), with more languages in the
pipeline.

Key aspects of italki are:

* Member-to-Member Learning -- Students can find language partners from all over the
world to practice speaking a foreign language (\"language exchange\"). Members can
use email, IM, voice, video, and text to communicate with each other.

* Community -- Members can rely on the community for \"answers\" and help. Members
can post a question about a language and get a response from other members.

* Open-Source -- Members are able to download and upload free documents about
learning languages.


Web Site: http://www.italki.com

Contact Details: italki.com
Kevin Chen
info@italki.com
415 287 3980