Go Away With … Serdar Acar
By; Jae-Ha Kim Tribune Content Agency / Chicago Tribune
Foreign languages have always been important to Turkish-born entrepreneur Serdar Acar, founder of the children’s language-learning program Dino Lingo dinolingo.com. “As the (Turkish) saying goes, ‘One language one person, two languages two persons,’” says Acar, 40, who now resides in Fort Myers, Fla. “Before I moved to the United States, I did some backpacking in India and Nepal. My English was not as good then as it is now, but English was the only language I could communicate with when I was traveling. I made lots of friends and gained a great experience from it. That same year, I went to Morocco for business where Arabic is the official language. Everybody also spoke French. I realized that being able to communicate in those two languages opened new doors and opportunities for me.”
Q. How lucky are English-speaking tourists?
A. Each language has its own advantages. But when it comes to traveling, I think English speakers are a bit luckier, because you can find an English-speaking person most of the time, especially if you stick to the tourist routes. That is why most people in other countries learn English.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. The Turkish Mediterranean Coast, which is a very diverse place where tourists from all over the world enjoy the sun, the sea and food that is unique to Turkey. This summer, my six brothers and their families and I all decided to have a reunion here for our parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. We rented an amazing villa with seven bedrooms. We came from all over the world. It was one of the most memorable vacations in my entire life. We did everything together from swimming, walking, shopping and playing soccer. And we also enjoyed lots of delicious, fresh food.
Q. To someone who was going there for the first time, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?
A. The area is famous for the sun and sandy beaches. But it also offers lots of culture and history. There are a lot of well-preserved remains from the Romans and Greeks: Aspendos, Termessos, Olympus, Perge are just some of them. There are also some caves with jaw-dropping views. When you visit the towns, you will notice fresh fish restaurants. There are also leather, carpet and jewelry shops. If you have some time during the day, you should visit one of those handmade carpet places. Women weave carpets in an old-fashioned way that is a nearly dead trade today.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. My wife was born and raised in Ireland. She still has some family living there right outside of Dublin. So far, I have been to Ireland seven times and six of them were just for Christmas. They own a huge bar and restaurant and it’s their family tradition for everyone to eat, drink and be merry. They also host a party on New Year’s Eve for the locals where I get to chat with old Irish guys.
Full article: http://tribunecontentagency.com/article/go-away-with-serdar-acar/
New lingo
BUSINESS OBSERVER, SEP. 25, 2015
Dino Lingo aims to help parents teach another language to children. It starts with fun and games.
By: Jean Gruss
When Serdar Acar moved to New York City in 2000 from his native Turkey, his dream was to be on the silver screen. Acar enrolled in acting school and learned English. “I wanted to be a star in Hollywood; it was following a silly dream,” laughs Acar, who still speaks with a slight Turkish accent.
Today, Acar, 40, is founder and president of Dino Lingo, a Fort Myers-based developer of language programs for small children. The company produces print, video and online materials in 45 languages, from Albanian to Welsh. More languages are in development, including Creole, Gujarati, Slovenian and Western Armenian.
Acar started the company in 2010 after he had trouble finding Turkish-language materials for his young son. His Irish-born wife, Annique, landed a job as a technical designer at women’s retailer Chico’s FAS headquarters and the couple moved to Fort Myers that year.
Acar’s idea was to incorporate fun songs and games into the materials to keep young children’s attention. “The normal way to learn languages is boring,” he says. While he’s consulted with experts on learning languages, Acar says testing new products with children works best.
Full story: https://www.businessobserverfl.com/article/new-lingo
2Q15 VenturePitch SWFL
NAPLES DAILY NEWS 6/1/2015
Best of the Gulfshore 2016:
GULFSHORE BUSINESS 5/30/2016
The best the Gulfshore had to offer over the past year.
Best start-up success: Dino Lingo started as an idea about six years ago in the head of Fort Myers’ Serdar Acar. Like a kid-friendly Rosetta Stone, it now produces instructional software for 40 different languages.
Full article:
http://www.gulfshorelife.com/May-2016/Best-of-the-Gulfshore-2016-People-Projects/
More on the news:
Perfect Pitch: https://www.businessobserverfl.com/article/perfect-pitch
Growing up polyglot: https://www.businessobserverfl.com/article/growing-polyglot
Serdar Acar 