James Carter
English
CELTA-certified. 10+ years teaching Business English to executives and graduate students worldwide.
Our story
About LingoUp Academy
We've been connecting adults with opportunities through language since 2010.
Our history
From a small classroom to a global academy
LingoUp began in 2010 as a single classroom in downtown Chicago, founded by two language teachers who believed that adults could learn faster when lessons were built around real-life goals — not textbook exercises.
Within five years, demand grew beyond the classroom. We expanded to online delivery, hired certified native teachers from across the globe and built our proprietary fast-track curriculum. Today, LingoUp students are in 40+ countries — negotiating deals in Mandarin, presenting in English and travelling the world in Spanish.
Our focus has never changed: give adults the fastest, most practical path to real-world language fluency.
Mission, Vision & Values
Mission
To give every adult learner the fastest, most practical path to real-world language fluency — so they can seize every professional and personal opportunity a new language unlocks.
Vision
A world where language is never a barrier to career growth, education or human connection — where anyone, anywhere, can communicate across cultures with confidence.
Values
Results over routine. Authentic practice over drills. Respect for the learner's time, goals and pace. And an uncompromising commitment to quality in every single class.
Our Methodology
Total Immersion
From lesson one, classes are conducted in the target language. Immersion activates natural acquisition and builds fluency without translation dependency.
Real-World Practice
Every exercise is grounded in authentic scenarios — job interviews, business calls, airport conversations, meeting negotiations. You practice what you'll actually use.
Native Teachers
All teachers are certified native speakers. You absorb natural intonation, cultural nuance and colloquial expressions that no textbook can teach.
Progress Monitoring
Weekly feedback reports, monthly level assessments and a personal learning dashboard keep you on track and motivated towards your specific goal.
Meet the team
Sofía Ramírez
Spanish
Linguistics degree from UNAM. Specializes in conversational and business Spanish for professionals.
Mei Zhang
Mandarin
Born in Shanghai. Certified Mandarin instructor with expertise in business Chinese and HSK preparation.
Liam O'Brien
Academic Director
MA in Applied Linguistics from King's College London. Oversees curriculum design and teacher training at LingoUp.