Easy Languages (YouTube)
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Easy Languages is a YouTube-based language learning network that produces street interviews and subtitled conversations to teach more than 40 languages through authentic unscripted speech from local people who speak that language or dialect.[1]
History
[edit]The project began in 2005 in Münster, Germany, when media educator Janusz Hamerski led a school video workshop and, with participant Cari Schmid, created a video teaching German greetings.[2] The video was later uploaded to YouTube shortly after the platform launched, where it quickly gained international attention.[2]
In 2014, YouTube selected Easy German for its education-focused creator program, prompting Hamerski and Schmid to move to Berlin and expand the project professionally.[3] By 2021, the Easy Languages network had grown to include over a dozen channels in various languages, modeled on the same interview-based format.[4]
Format and Global Reach
[edit]The project has expanded into more than 40 languages, with each channel presenting street interviews featuring subtitles in both the local language and English.[2] A franchise system helps new contributors launch channels while maintaining the educational and visual identity of the network.[3]
Recognition
[edit]The project has received praise in Germany’s mainstream press for its accessibility and grassroots origins.[2] In 2023, the German government’s public diplomacy platform featured Easy German as an example of successful online German instruction.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Flemons, Kit (5 September 2022). "How Easy English Brings Real Language to Learners". ELTABB Connections. 4 (9).
- ^ a b c d Manthei, Lilian (16 March 2025). "Youtuberin im Interview: Alles begann mit einem "Hallo"". Westfälischen Nachrichten. Muenster, Germany: Westfälische Medien GmbH & Co. KG. p. 23. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ a b Kluck, Nora (1 June 2022). "Deutsch lernen wie mit Freunden". Wissen, Leben. 2022 (Summer): 4.
- ^ Montali, Stefano (23 December 2021). "Our audience is so diverse': What it's like to teach German from Berlin's streets". The Local. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ "Deutsch lernen mit YouTube". Deutschland.de. Federal Foreign Office of Germany. 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2025.