Indians Are Using TikTok To Learn English

China's TikTok this week launched an education program in India as the popular short-video app looks to expand its offering and assuage local authority in one of its biggest markets. From a report: This is the first time TikTok has launched a program of this kind in any market, a spokesperson told TechCrunch. TkTok, owned by the world's most valued startup Bytedance, said it's working with a number of content creators and firms in India to populate the platform with educational videos. These bite-sized clips cover a range of topics, from school-level science and math concepts to learning new languages. The social app is also featuring videos that offer tips on health and mental awareness, and motivational talks. The social platform, which is used by more than 200 million users in India every month, said its education program is aimed at "democratizing learning for the Indian digital community on the platform." (TikTok had 120 million monthly active users in April this year.) It has partnered with edtech startups Vedantu, Toppr, Made Easy and Gradeup that will produce educational content for TikTok.

Re: Indians already KNOW English

[Nidi62]

I just found out today that al Jazeera has a website that'll help teach you Arabic. Didnt have a chance to really look at it, but would be nice to brush back up on that language. It was always pleasant to write but a bitch to read.

Funny, coming from a Murican...

[BAReFO0t]

Call 011 44 118 999 881 999 119 725 3 when you learned how to speak proper English.

(Hint: R.P., Geordie and a Scottish accent are all valid English accents. As are the Indian, Australian and American ones.)

Re:

[radarskiy]

They primarily have to be understandable to American English speakers, so they have a lot of unlearning to do.

In their teepees I guess

[fleabay]

Indians are in their teepees having a pow-wow and learning TicTok.

Who is this for?

[Thelasko]

Wealthy people with internet access already learn English [wikipedia.org] in India as part of formal education.

Simple

[skam240]

"Who is this for?"

Simple, the masses with cheap smart phones.

Of course this won't reach the lowest of the low but smart phone penetration goes well below what we in the US would call poverty in many countries. These aren't the latest Apple or Samsung products of course. Think first (maybe second) gen Apple smart phone and that's about what they're buying. Most of the time probably first world cast offs. These people cobble together wonderful solutions in order to get data outside of the context of expensive

Indo-Chinese Accent ?

[nukenerd]

So in future, those helpful guys who phone from "Windows" to warn me I have a computer virus will be Indians speaking with Chinese accents? I await their calls with interest.

TikTok = Flappy Bird

[BAReFO0t]

There is literally no reason for it to be popular. It only "is" popular, because it was *said* to be popular, before it actually was.

At least with Flappy Bird, it didn't happen on purpose...

Tictok does the needful

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

The small small videos made by tictok are very good. Many many people are thinking English is needed to get jobs and education. I am requesting the good offices of the President of tiktok to do the needful many times. But he is not reverting my messages.