Hillary Yip, CEO of MinorMynas, was born in Hong Kong in February 2005, two years later than the first iPhone. She tries to find ways to create a global(全球性的) community and safe place for young people to connect and learn languages.
At age 10, Yip had the idea for a language-learning app, MinorMynas. At that time she was trying her best to learn Putonghua. The platform, launched in May, 2018, is a children-only community that encourages kids to video-chat with others around the world, making language learning more fun and interactive.
The following is a conversation between a reporter and Yip.
Reporter: Why do you come up with such an idea?
Yip: If you look at the traditional methods of language learning, kids find that it's not fun anymore. You've got exams, dictations—we hate it! MinorMynas is all about letting children learn a language through chatting and making friends with other people.
Reporter: Who helps a lot to the success of MinorMynas?
Yip: My mum. She's taught me to be curious all my life and to challenge. She's been a rebel(叛逆者) her whole life! I really look up to her in this case, but I don't think she expects the rebelliousness from me.
Reporter: You've spoken a lot about the importance of curiosity for innovation(创新).
Yip: We are all born to ask questions, but the way we're brought up can kill it. The way we're taught in schools kills so much of our curiosity. I guess that's why creativity is so valued now, because we need people who can challenge and create things that wouldn't be there.
Reporter: Is that the benefit of being so young, having a fresh perspective?
Yip: Yeah, that's the great benefit of being a kid. Adults have been through so many experiences that can change the way you look at the world. For us kids, we just take things as they are.
