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:Today, language learning tool ​Babbel releases the first-ever ‘​Lit-tionary​’ – a dictionary designed to help travellers speak slang like a native. The ‘cheat sheet’ includes local phrases from countries as diverse as Spain, Poland and Germany with equivalents to Aussie-used phrases like ‘Lit’, ‘Sick’, ‘Mate’, ‘Banger’ ‘Bae’ and ‘Rig’.

After polling more than 1,500 people, Babbel discovered that ​a third of Aussies (31%) ​have encountered a sticky situation due to a language barrier, and when it comes to learning a language, ​more than half of Australians (55%) ​would prefer to learn slang than ‘textbook’ language. To combat these problems Babbel used its unique language expertise to uncover local vernacular that no other similar platform would include. Gone are the stuffy sentence formulations and tenses; a modern world calls for a modern way to learn languages, and this includes understanding everyday words that are exchanged on the streets.

Released as a digital download, the ‘​Lit-tionary​’ includes popular words like ‘​Tio​’ which in a direct translation means ‘uncle’ but is used in Spain to call someone a ‘mate’. It also includes the Polish word for ‘deer’, ‘​Jelen​’, which is used as a way to call someone a ‘sucker’ or someone easily deceived, the Portuguese ‘​Gato​’ which means ‘cat’ but is used to call someone attractive, and the Turkish term ‘​yakıyorsun​’​ ​to say something is ‘on fire’ similar to ‘lit’.

The ‘​Lit-tionary​’ will allow readers to avoid the social faux pas that comes with a limited vocabulary and help them break the ice with locals abroad. This supplements the existing offering within Babbel whereby 73% of users reported that they’d be able to have a short, simple conversation in their new language within five hours of using the app.

Commenting on the slang dictionary, Ted Mentele from Babbel’s Didactics team said: “Babbel’s Lit-tionary is a fun way for users to understand that language is an ever-changing entity. Slang words have been around for decades and usually only native speakers or those who are multilingual know how to use them. We wanted to make this much simpler for slang-loving Aussies and ensure that travellers can break down some barriers with the locals when visiting a new place.”

Babbel is the world’s top-grossing ​language learning app​, ​available to learn 14 languages from French to Indonesian, Russian and Spanish. Available for web, iOS and Android, the mobile app has a handy offline function that allows you to practice at home, on the train or even a plane!