Connecting the world with language

14 August 2013

Drawing on their own professional and personal experiences through learning a second language and the skills gained while studying at Nottingham University Business School, MBA alumnae Rupinder Chahal and Aigul Serikbayeva were inspired to set up www.airuup.com, an innovative online language learning platform.

Online language education is not new of course, but what makes Airuup unique is the range of language options on offer, which - combined with clever use of online technology - provide the user with a level of access and flexibility that has not previously been available. Airuup is essentially an online community made up of students of all abilities, native speakers and professional teachers, who run and deliver language learning for the benefit of each other. As such it provides a learning platform that can connect people regardless of where they are located in the world and accommodate professional lessons, language practice, or simply an opportunity to engage in conversation with native speakers.

Rupinder and Aigul who met in 2010 during their MBA studies in Corporate Social Responsibility and Finance respectively, bring a huge amount of business development; marketing and finance experience to their new business venture gained in the corporate finance; telecom; IT and oil and gas sectors.

Rupinder explained how the MBA equipped them with the knowledge and confidence to develop their business idea: “The MBA developed managerial skills, business expertise as well as providing us with hands on training for dealing with real work business problems. It helped us in becoming business savvy and gave us a competitive advantage.

Airuup logo“For me, being an MBA student at the University of Nottingham meant I had the opportunity to meet course-mates from around the world. Despite everyone’s different languages and cultures, the fact that we all had English as a common language brought us together. We were able to communicate freely, share our views, thoughts and knowledge and as a result, became friends.”

Aigul described the challenges of being an international student in the UK and how this inspired her to realise the business potential for online language learning: “Learning and gaining new skills has always been an important part of my life. I found that studying at an English University demanded high level English language skills. Gradually, I went from being able to speak and understand English at an amateur level to an expert of the language. At this point, I felt as the whole world of new information and new opportunities was accessible to me. I was able to read all types of books and articles in English, watch Hollywood films and understand President Obama’s and the Queen’s speeches.

“The exciting feeling of knowing another language engendered in us a strong desire to share this feeling with people around the world. Whether for academic purposes, for career prospects or simply for the freedom and enjoyment of travelling around the world, we want to help people speak additional languages fluently. This is how Airuup was born.”

One thing is for sure, Rupinder and Aigul are passionate about empowering others to learn languages and make the world better connected through their online learning platform.

Find out more about Airuup

Airuup website
Airuup on Facebook
Airuup on LinkedIn
Airuup on YouTube