Who can take part in the uTalk Language Games?

Anyone! Registration is open to everyone, worldwide. We recommend taking part as a member of a class or school – this makes things more fun and gives you the opportunity to take part in the competition in the summer. If you know other individuals taking part, you can all get together and submit yourselves as a team! You will need permission from a parent or guardian if you are aged 15 or under.

Do I have to learn three languages?

Not if you don’t want to! You will have to choose at least one language upon registration; this will be unlocked immediately.

If you choose a second language, this will be unlocked on 01/04/2024. If, at any point, you decide you want to change either of the languages you have chosen, please get in touch. The same applies if you only chose one language at registration but later decide you would like two. Send us an email and we will update your account or group.

A third mystery language, chosen by uTalk, will also be available for participants to learn between April and July. The language will be unlocked on 04/10/2024 and we are planning to stage an interschool and interregional competition around it. Learning this language is not compulsory and more details will follow in March 2024.

Do I have to learn specific languages?

No; you can choose any of our 150+ languages to learn!

Do you have a list of languages I can choose from?

You can choose any language available in our uTalk app; click here to see the full list.

What if I have a student whose native language isn’t English?

The app works by automatically defaulting to the language of your device but you can change this by going to the Settings (cog) icon, selecting ‘Application Language’ and choosing your native language from the drop down list.

When can I start scoring points?

You can start playing games on the app as soon as you have been given your username and password and have downloaded the app containing the unlocked content.

Will I be able to see a leaderboard to see how I’m doing?

Yes! You’ll be able to see a leaderboard where you can compare yourself to others in your class (or region if you are an individual entrant) and see which awards you’ve achieved (there’s a bronze, silver, and gold one for each topic!).

Teachers, you will have access to a dashboard with a few more features. You will be able to add more students, toggle topics on and off, and see a class leaderboard, which shows how many points each pupil has scored, their achievements, and gives you the ability to print certificates throughout the year.

How will payment be arranged?

Payment will be taken at the point of registration. If you are entering a lot of students and would like to talk to us about your entry fee, please email us at languagegames@utalk.com and someone will get back to you soon.

How do you stop cheating on the Speaking Game or Recall Game where participants record and mark their own pronunciation?

This section relies on everyone’s honesty. The marks available in this section are also only a small part of the total and so no one can top their leaderboard by cheating alone!

Can you earn points in the Phrase Practice section?

No, this section is only for practice.

Why do I see references to the uTalk Junior Language Challenge (JLC)?

We’ve built this out of our existing uTalk Junior Language Challenge structure, so you may see references here and there! Don’t worry, you’re still part of the uTalk Language Games.