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Learning a new language is never easy, but there’s no shortage of fresh approaches aiming to help. In recent years we’ve seen a Twitter-based tool for building vocabulary, for instance, as well as a video app for learning French. Next up? Lingibli, a smartphone app that uses QR codes to help users learn basic words and pronunciation. Based in Slovakia, Lingibli recently launched with an initial offering of 18 languages: German, English, Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. The company’s free mobile app is available for both iPhone and Android. Working on the assumption that only 100 basic words make up half of all daily conversations, the company focuses on helping users learn 20 basic words and 35 phrases using multiple senses at once. A downloadable sheet of QR code vocabulary labels is available for users to cut up and affix to basic items around their home or office, for example; to hear the correct pronunciation of a particular item’s name, users simply scan the QR code with their phone. Lingibli’s label pages and basic apps are free; language packs with additional content cost EUR 3.99. Lingibli offers custom branding options for travel agencies and other globally focused firms aiming to offer their clients and customers an extra service. Time to set your company apart with a like-minded brand butler offering of its own? Spotted by: Katharina Kieck