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Easy Languages is a 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]
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]
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] Many franchises have their own membership tiers for users to gain access to exclusive content [5] .
The company also has a partnership with the educational German Language company Seedlang, as many employees of Easy Languages make content for Seedlang's apps [6]
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. [7]