Source: www.thehindu.com
HYDERABAD, INDIA, November 6, 2010: Language learning has just gotten easier. In an instance of technology usefully deployed for the cause of culture, a non-resident Indian from the U.S. has designed a user-friendly language-learning application for mobile devices, intended primarily for the offspring of the Indian diaspora.
Sreekanth Chintala, a Database Technology Strategist from Austin, Texas, U.S., conceptualized and designed the application for 11 Indian languages — Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Sanskrit. Version-I of the application has been test released into the market for the first seven languages. It can be run on Apple iPods and iPhones, and tests are under way to release it for Android devices too. Five versions will be released with each sequentially adding up to the proficiency levels of the learner.
Even before the official release scheduled for November, the application has been downloaded by 1,500 Indians in over 30 countries, says Mr. Sreekanth. The concept emerged from his discontent at not being able to teach his mother tongue to his children.