Refugees and migrants from eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia have been making their way to European Union countries for many years, with an uptick after the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

But 2015 saw the start of what has been dubbed ‘Europe’s migrant crisis’. This saw over one million migrants and refugees seek safety in Western Europe.

Hundreds of thousands have now settled in countries foreign to them, attempting to rebuild thier lives in what they hope will be their new home, whether temporary or permanent.

And yet, a primary obstacle these people face, many of whom remain in camps across European borders, is language. Whether seeking employment, visiting the doctor’s office, or learning a new skill, the language barrier is major setback.

In Germany, the country with the the highest number of asylum applications in 2016, apps aimed at refugees have abounded.

From language learning for small children, quick translation in German, to apps that aid with general information on services for migrants and refugees.

A new platform joining this brigade of those looking to ease the plight of many is ET Call.

Founded by a group of developers from Egypt and Germany, they just launched their beta site and look to provide real-time translation services for those newly arrived in Germany.

Initially they will have an Arabic to German translation service, but hope to expand that to three languages within the first year.

Here cofounder Khaled Abo Shady talked to Wamda about the project.