14:01 | 15.09.15 | Articles | exclusive 5354

Mashtots to teach Western Armenian

Mashtots free learning app allows studying Western Armenian through fun games and exercises.

The app is available in 3 languages - Armenian, English and Spanish.

Mashtots is co-founded by Tigran Barseghyan, Eric Ghonian and Grigori Eyramjyan. The team currently comprises 8 people.

Talking to Itel.am, U.S.-based Grigori Eyramjyan said that the app was created around 6 months ago when they started cooperating with Calouste Gyulbenkian Foundation.

“The Foundation has established grants for an Armenian language app. We decided to apply and develop the app”, he noted.

According to Grigori Eyramjyan, they came up with the idea of creating such an app much earlier.

“It’s already more than 3 years that I have been living in San Francisco. It was there, in the yard of Saint Hovhannes Apostolic Church, that I taught Armenian. So, I’m aware what issues people are faced with while learning Armenian. Our compatriots living outside of Armenian are our target group”, he said.

Grigori Eyramjyan stressed that their main issues was to complete the iOS version of the app and acquire a larger consumer market as a result.

“Although Mashtots app teaches Western Armenian, I don’t rule out that in future, we will create the Eastern Armenian version as well”, said Grigori Eyramjyan.

He noted his intention to include the app in the Armenian educational programs.

Narine Daneghyan