Fast-growing app adds te reo to language offering
Te reo Ma¯ ori will win new overseas listeners as a multinational learning app adds Ma¯ori to its suite of more than 30 languages.
Drops allows users to match an image and the corresponding word in Ma¯ori with a swipe of their finger.
The service was founded in 2015 and already has 10 million users. It was named Google Play’s best app of 2018, and is available for iOS and Android phones.
Drops co-founder and chief executive Daniel Farkas said his company had recently launched in Icelandic and Hawaiian to a strong response and he was hoping for a similar reception in New Zealand.
‘‘There are already wonderful initiatives in effect in New Zealand to preserve the Ma¯ ori language, and we’re keen to do our bit in supporting its resurgence with Ma¯ori on Drops,’’ Farkas said.
‘‘Helping to preserve and promote smaller languages around the world is a cause very close to my heart, so it’s been exciting to see New Zealand’s genuine interest in the revitalisation of te reo.’’
Drops joins several similar offerings at a time when interest in te reo is growing. Last year, Spark launched Kupu, which also offers users instant Ma¯ ori translations of objects around them, using image recognition.
Another, He aha te¯nei, is an interactive game aimed at children with a basic reading ability.
The Drops app will have almost 2000 words, which is deemed enough to understand most of a language. It is free to download, with premium packages for paying customers.