Songlingo wins Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 25th District

When asked what inspired the creation of Songlingo, the student said, “Upon moving to Broward County, Florida, after 9th grade, I was struck by the communication barriers that existed due to language differences. Over 25% of my county’s population speaks Spanish, and almost 40% of that group speaks limited English. Knowing little Spanish at the time, I quickly realized the communication challenges both for me and for non-English speakers.

In the local youth group, Maccabi Tzair, where I am a kindergarten counselor, a child who had recently emigrated from South America spoke no English. It pained me how hard it was for him to make friends, as he couldn’t communicate with the other children. I set out on a journey to learn Spanish.

One helpful technique involved listening to Latin music. I would look up each song’s lyrics, translate unfamiliar words, and make flashcards. The process was time-consuming, and I thought there had to be a better way. This sparked the idea for Songlingo, a website to learn languages through songs.

After creating Songlingo, I used the site to improve my Spanish until I could more easily communicate with my Spanish-speaking kindergartener. Seeing my progress, I realized the website had the potential to help many others in similar situations. I also realized it could help English learners, many of whom face significant challenges due to language barriers, including fewer job opportunities, lower salaries, and less access to healthcare. By making English learning fun and accessible, Songlingo can help break some of these barriers. I began spreading the word through language learning social media channels. The site now has over 5,500 language learners across the globe, bridging language and cultural barriers.”