More than 2 million Ukrainians who have fled to neighboring countries due to ongoing unrest in the region are now facing a range of challenges, including language barriers.
According to Sensor Tower, Ukrainians are turning to mobile devices to some extent to help where they can, with first-time downloads of translation apps in the country up 71 percent from the previous month.
The top 10 translation apps on the Ukrainian App Store and Google Play had a total of 198,000 installs in the first nine days of March, a 71% month-on-month increase compared to 116,000 in the first nine days of February.
Google Translate leads the pack with about 58,000 installs, followed by Translate All and Camera Translator. The conflict is now in its third week, and uncertainty about the future could prompt an increase in language-learning apps as large numbers of Ukrainians to relocate to neighboring countries or adjust to their makeshift homes.
The top 10 language learning apps had about 132,000 installs in the first nine days of March, up 47% from 90,000 during the same period in February.
Well-known language apps like Duolingo as well as specific language apps are members of this group. Unsurprisingly, three of the top 10 apps focus exclusively on Polish; another three are English-focused, and one language app focuses on learning German.
An analysis of the mobile ecosystem does not fully paint a picture of how the conflict in Ukraine has affected the lives of its citizens. However, it provides a perspective on how they use mobile devices and some of the challenges they may encounter.
Reports show that a series of mobile apps are being used to provide aid to people located in Ukraine in creative and unexpected ways, such as using Airbnb to donate to Ukrainian homeowners.
On the other hand, translation and language learning apps do what they’re designed to do: help bridge the communication gap and connect people from different cultures for the rest of their lives.