A business interview
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Presenter: Welcome to today's show. We're very happy to have Anna Oliveira as our guest today. Anna is the creator and founder of HomeworX – spelled with an 'x' we should note – an app which helps teenagers with their homework. Thanks for coming in, Anna.
Anna: Thanks for having me.
Presenter: So, tell us about your app. How does it work?
Anna: Well, teenagers and their parents have numerous challenges when it comes to homework these days. In many families both parents work and don't have much available time to help their kids with their homework. And even if they do have time to help, they may not be able to offer support with the content. What I mean is, they may not know, or at least remember, enough in any given subject to support.
Presenter: You mean they might not be able to remember complex maths or might have never studied certain subjects, such as biology or economics, themselves?
Anna: Exactly. So they might want to support their children with their homework, but have neither the time nor the knowledge to do so.
Presenter: I see. So the app helps solve this problem?
Anna: Yes, and more. The next issue is that tutors can be expensive, and there may be long waiting lists for specialist tutors in the town or region you live in. Our HomeworX app brings students and tutors together online. Students can search a database of pre-approved tutors and sign up for live online support. They don't need to be in the same town or city.
Presenter: That sounds really great.
Anna: It is. And this approach also enables us to offer the tutoring services at lower prices because there's no travelling time involved for the tutor to get to the student's home. And tutors who live in remote areas are happy to get access to more students, and be able to work from home, even at lower rates.
Presenter: This all sounds great. So, how did you come up with the idea?
Anna: Well, as you might guess, I was one of those parents I described earlier. I really wanted to help my son with his homework, but I was either too busy with work or I didn't actually know anything about the subjects he was having difficulty with. Also, we live in an area where there aren't many tutors and the ones that are there are either very expensive or have long waiting lists.
Presenter: Yes. I can understand your predicament. Well, it sounds like a very useful app that is clearly meeting a need. And its popularity obviously speaks for itself.
Anna: Thank you.
Presenter: So, do you have plans for the future?
Anna: We've just secured some funding and hope to expand the range of services we offer using the app.
Presenter: We wish you the best of luck. Thanks again for coming in. That was Anna Oliveira, founder of the tutoring app HomeworX (with an 'x', don't forget!), which is available for both Apple and Android devices. Join us again next week for another business interview. Have a great week, everyone.
Thank you, it helped me a lot.
When I was in school, I was one of those kids who didn’t really pay attention to the teachers in class. I preferred just attending the classes, and then I would self-study online, mostly on YouTube. But if I knew there was something I wouldn’t be able to find in online resources, I would definitely focus in class.
I'n not used to learn English or other languages through mobile apps, while I usually prefer to use a laptop. In some situations, when I need to know how to say a specific word or if I need to quickly translate a text I find it practical to use Google Translate. Certainly, one of the most widely advertised app (at least in Italy) is Babbel...maybe one day I'll try it.
I advice you not to use google translate ... it is superficial and doesn't give correct translation, I recommend using Deepl
What's your favourite app for learning and why?
I don’t have a favorite app, but the ones I use most frequently to practice my English skills are Voscreen, Duolingo, and LyricsTraining. I like these apps because they are easy to use, fun and free.
For example, Voscreen doesn’t require you to pay; you just log in with your information and you can start using it. You can also use it anytime and anywhere.
Additionally, it's fun because it shows you short clips from movies or series and you have to understand what they’re saying in order to choose the correct phrase or a synonym.
Hello. My favorite language learning app is Duolingo because it offers a well-structured course that covers all aspects of language acquisition. The app includes exercises for vocabulary, grammar, speaking, listening, and dialogue practice, which helps learners develop a balanced skill set. However, Duolingo is not perfect, so I recommend supplementing it with other resources such as YouTube, which provides a wealth of content for learning English. This combination enhances understanding and keeps learning engaging.
hey guys, I like Duolingo very much because of its practical way of teaching and making people engage in it. Because of my consistency in its activities I am here improving my English even more. I've been liking very much.
My favorite app for learning English is Elsa Speak. I discovered this app while I was searching videos on YouTube to enhance my English skills, I am a careful person so I don't usually buy on the internet, but I thought go ahead and get it, just to try (without spectation), now I am grateful because I have seen the improvement in my listening and pronunciation skills, also I am able to speak with IA easier and even if my level is not to high the IA understand what I am trying to said and make me a feedback.
I think I like using Duolingo the most because it gives a wide range of languages to learn . It does not include tutors but it,s a very good app if you want to learn any language , even english. Moreover it includes cute fidgets and fun exercies.
The app Bilibili (similar to YouTube) is the one I use the most, where many tutors share their experiences and knowledge. For a specific question, however, ChatGPT is much better.