iSayHello.mobi's Blog

Grüß Gott an alle!

Many of us enjoy a little drink from time to time, and even more so in Bavaria, Germany. And so to celebrate their love for beer and making it, every year they get together for what is known worldwide as the Oktoberfest. In the space of just under three weeks, visitors from all corners of the globe converge on the city of Munich to sit down with local Bavarians and enjoy a few (half) litres of beer (of course some drink more than the average “few!”), a few bratwurst and a good old sing-song.

This year marks the 200th Anniversary of the event which first took place back in 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig married Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. To commemorate their marriage, a great horse race was organised and from that day on this festival became known as the Oktoberfest.

On the 18th September at precisely 12:00, a twelve-gun salute will be given and then the first keg of Oktoberfest beer will be tapped, with the cry O’ zapft is! (It’s tapped!) From that day on, visitors will have 16 days to quench their thirst!

Of course Oktoberfest cannot be just about the beer. There’s also the traditional costume parade on the first Sunday of the festival, and you cannot miss the roller coasters and rides that are scattered around the 42 hectare Theresienwiese.

And what could possibly compliment your trip to this year’s Oktoberfest? Why but our iSayHello German app of course! Whether you need to get around the place, order more food or drink or have a nice chat with the locals, iSayHello will be with you every step of the way. And it’s all at the touch of your fingertips on your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android. What’s more, iSayHello is now equipped with Google Translate, so you’ll never be short for words on your travels.

Lusófonos do mundo, uni-vos!

This Sunday – for one day only- you can download our English – Portuguese (European) app for free. That’s right, for FREE!

So, don’t delay, we’re only giving them away this Sunday. They’re available on iPhone and iPod Touch, so catch them while you can!!

Hi everyone and welcome back! We’re back off our holidays at iSayHello, where some of us managed to get a dose of sunshine and warm weather. Sadly some of us also got stuck in the rain ….. but we still had fun!  So how were your holidays? Any experiences with our iSayHello app that you would like to share with us? (Remember Mr Fischer in Moldova? )

Here at iSayHello we’re absolutely crazy for languages and we’re travel mad, so much that we’ll soon be packing our rucksacks once more. We’d also like you to get in on the action. So here’s the deal: just tell us which country you’ll be visiting next and we’ll give you the iSayHello app for your future destination for free! That’s right, for FREE!

It couldn’t be simpler. Just post us a message underneath with your destination of choice, or alternatively, you can let us know on our Facebook page.

The month of August usually graces the British Isles with more sun and warmer weather than throughout the year, but unless the UK experiences an “Indian Summer” in September, the cooler and less pleasant forecasts that are oh so present in apringtime look like they’ll be staying around a little bit longer. That however is no reason to panic, dear travellers! It might not quite be time for sun cream and sandals on the island, but the cold and the rain won’t be keeping the locals indoors, especially in Scotland. That’s right, the land of haggis, bagpipes and the Loch Ness Monster attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every summer, with many of them converging on the capital, Edinburgh.

Edinburgh plays host to a variety of festivals throughout the summer. The main festivals are the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe (The Fringe has gone mainstream now and so the Free Festival is becoming bit by bit the city’s new alternative event). The Edinburgh International Festival consists of classical and contemporary theatre, music, dance, opera, visual arts and workshops. The Fringe provides performances from the world of music, opera, dance, theatre, comedy and musicals.  With over 2,000 shows in the space of less than a month, it’s not been named the largest cultural event in the world for nothing!

Besides the above Edinburgh also hosts the Film Festival, Art Festival, Book Festival and the Edinburgh Mela. Something for everyone! And what better way to get the most out of the festival than to bring your iSayHello with you! Whether it’s finding your way around the festivals or looking to get a half-time snack in-between shows, just whip out your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android Smartphone and as they say in the British Isles, “Bob’s your uncle.”

What’s more, with iSayHello now being equipped with Google Translate, you can be sure to get exactly what you need on your travels. And that might just mean an umbrella

LOWNO have been at it again with a brand new video! Whether you’re looking to get a conversation going and don’t have the right words, or you’re hoping to give out a compliment but just can’t say it in that particular language. iSayHello helps you out!

Well done guys! We are also “very satisfied!”

As you can see on top of this post, our blog now has not only a Home button, but also a “German corner”. And yes, you guessed right, what you can read there is actually in German!

The plan is to offer certain specials and information specific for our German friends, starting with a very special offer for iSayHello German – Spanish. More languages/countries soon to come, so stay tuned!

Panic stations! It was the 7th of July and after a long tour travelling around Transnistria, the Ukraine and Moldova, Mr Fischer was back in the Moldovan capital, Chişinău, and wanted to watch his beloved Germany take on Spain in the World Cup semi-final. Obviously, not every place would be showing the game and besides, crawling around town would take forever. And then iSayHello came to the rescue. He got out his iPhone and asked a stander-by the question above, and lo and behold, was shown where the game was being shown on a large screen. What a relief! (Shame for him about the score though )
The above statement is just one of many comments we’ve received from customers who have purchased our handy little app.  Whether it be missing the tour bus back to Tokyo International Airport and asking the hotel receptionist if she can book a taxi, or using your numerical skills to haggle at the local market in Teguise, Lanzarote, we all have our own holiday stories to tell and sometimes we get by with a little help from our friends.

So what about you? Any stories that you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear from you!

What’s more, we’ve also been given some very nice comments back from those who have purchased our app:

“If you are serious about learning German, get this app. Great for learning and as a reference when traveling ”  – Wilhelm Rahn
“Esta app sirve para esos ratos en que de repente se te olvida como decir cierta frase o quieres repasar algo en frances de algun tema en especifico.” – SNCHZ

“Urlaub – leicht gemacht. Da mein Schulenglisch ganz schön eingeschlafen war, hat mir diese App mehr als nur geholfen. Intuitive Bedienung.“ – Nicban

“英語に自信がなくイギリスに行こうと思ってらっしゃる方にはこのアプリをお勧めします.” – Penzancer

“Polish is really extremely difficult to speak. So this talking dictionary is absolutely perfect. It helped me a lot and it is so easy.” – travel_boy

At iSayHello, we’d like to say a big danke/thank you/gracias/merci/grazie/dziękuję/спасибо/obrigado/ 谢谢/ ありがとう to you all!

In fact it’s a weapon!

That’s right. Every year a food fight is held on the last Wednesday of August in the town of Bunyol/Buñol in the region of País Valencià, Spain. The town is home to just under 10,000 inhabitants, but more than 5 times that amount gather there every year to splatter each other with tomatoes. In the space of just one day, 150,000 tomatoes are used.

What started off over 60 years ago as a group of angry youngsters throwing tomatoes, La Tomatina is now a tradition. At 10 am a ham leg is hung on the top of a post whilst everyone starts singing and dancing. Traditionally women wear all white and the males wear no t-shirts. Then at 11am, a whistle is blown and the fight begins. One hour later, the whistle blows again and the throwing stops! And if you manage to reach the ham leg, you get to keep it (you might want to give it a wash first!).

Bunyol is a small town but is easily reached by buses from Valencia. Now iSayHello doesn’t do Catalan, but it does do Spanish, so you don’t need me to tell you how to say “How do I get to Bunyol?”, iSayHello does all the hard work for you! Just make sure you keep hold of your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android!

Calling all Germanophiles…or, better still, all travellers that will be heading to Germany! Fingers on keyboards. Ready? Steady? Go! Let the fun begin – it’s competition time again!

Are you planning to visit Germany? Then let us help you with your German! Tell us where you’re from and win download codes worth 19.90 Euros for German language courses from Prosonsoft!

You can choose between these courses: http://www.prosonsoft.com/products/learn_german_educational_software – or if you’re on a business trip, you might be interested in “More than Manners” instead, the business professional´s guide to success in Germany: http://www.more-than-manners.com/

It’s simple. All you have to do is go on our Facebook page, become a fan and take part in the vote!

The iSayHello travel phrasebooks for iPhone and iPod Touch with the most votes will be available for a limited time only and for a very special price! Just in time for your holidays to Germany

The guys at LOWNO have been busy again and we are proud to present to you our latest video. You know the scenario: you make eyes across the dance floor, one move leads into another… but how do you say the right words at the right time? It can be tricky enough sometimes in your own language, but in another!? Never fear, iSayHello is here. Just get out your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android Smartphone and scroll down to the “Flirting” section. And the rest is history. Take note, Erasmus students

And remember, play safe!