Why I made Voxolo

Why does the man in this photo look so happy?

Probably because I had just finished my first Dunkel at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich—and was watching the second one being poured.

My wife and I were on a Christmas-market trip through Munich, Nuremberg, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. We love the holiday season, and the trip gave us everything we had hoped for: welcoming people, incredible food and drink, and the chance to experience cultures and traditions different from our own.

Before we left, I wanted to learn enough German to engage with the people we met. For about six months, I spent 15 minutes a day tapping through language lessons and listened to conversational German during my morning walks.

By the time we arrived, I felt reasonably prepared.

That was when I discovered the gap between completing language lessons and having an actual conversation. I had listened to plenty of German, but I had rarely spoken it—apart from repeating individual words and short phrases. And the conversations I had practiced were far more predictable than the real thing.

Real people do not follow a script. They add details, ask unexpected questions, speak at different speeds, and take the conversation somewhere you did not prepare for.

That realization became Voxolo

I created Voxolo for travelers who want more from a trip than simply seeing the sights. It is for people who want to connect with the places they visit—and with the people who call those places home.

Voxolo takes an immersion-style approach to language practice. Within minutes of opening the app, you begin listening and speaking. Instead of only memorizing vocabulary or tapping through scripted exercises, you practice responding in conversations that can develop in unexpected ways—just as they do when you travel.

In many ways, I built Voxolo for someone like me: a traveler who wants to show respect by making a genuine effort, engage more deeply with another culture, and feel confident enough to speak when the opportunity arrives.

Technology should bring us closer

Translation apps still have their place. I use them, and I recommend them when they are needed. But holding up a phone between two people can feel awkward and impersonal. Speaking even a little of someone’s language creates an entirely different kind of moment. It turns a transaction into an interaction—and sometimes an interaction into a memory.

That is why I made Voxolo: to help you practice real conversations, connect with real people, and learn to speak the language before you land.

Justin Founder, Voxolo