Startup Story: how the project raises the status of the state language

As part of the Startup Story column, IT Park invited the founder Muhammadsaid Mamasaidov to visit to learn about the Tahrirchi project.

How did the idea to create a startup come about?

Muhammadsaid, 22, is a 4th year student at Inha University.  As the guest recalls, he was prompted to launch a startup by a problem he had to face.

“At the university, we took a course on data structures, and at the end of the course we had to make a project.  In the course of work, I encountered the difficulty of checking spelling for Uzbek.  Then we realized how voluminous and difficult this task is for one item, and we were only able to make a small version of the spell checker.  After the course, I decided to explore this topic in more depth in order to create a full-fledged spell checker”.

Startup Tahrirchi is an ecosystem of products and services for correct writing in Uzbek.

“Initially, we started our journey with the creation of MVP in the form of a language model, then moved on to creating various client applications, such as a mobile keyboard, and now as a website and browser extensions.  We want to make it fashionable and accessible to write in correct Uzbek and thereby reduce the number of spelling errors on the web”.

How useful is your startup?

As the hero of the interview says, at first it was not easy for the team to work on a startup.

“In a project about the Uzbek language, one cannot do without a strong knowledge of the Uzbek language.  Since we did not have linguists in the team, I myself had to study the grammar of the Uzbek language, mainly morphology and syntax.  Thanks to the startup, we discovered the wonderful world of the Uzbek language and created its computer model, which includes more than 200 affixes”.

Now there are 8 people in the team.  Each project participant is working on improving and developing the startup.

“Our startup is directly related to raising the status of the state language.  We think that it will help schoolchildren, students and all people who use the Uzbek language on a daily basis.  We really want to improve the culture of Uzbek language proficiency, because it is important for every person to know their native language, and to know it well”.

How do you plan to develop your project?

Muhammadsaid notes that many startups end up at the MVP stage, the most important stage: there are many ideas, but the implementation of the idea has the last word.

“First, we would like to settle in Uzbekistan, reach out to schoolchildren and students.  After – those who work with documents every day.  As we develop, we will find new ways to integrate the application and gradually get rid of errors in Uzbek”.

After that, the hero says, the team plans to switch to other Turkic languages.  After Uzbekistan, they are aimed at Kazakhstan and the Kazakh language, and only then the rest.  After all, all the created models are suitable for all Turkic languages ​​due to their strong similarities in grammar, Muhammadsaid notes.

Muhammadsaid wants young startuppers to study the market in detail and think through all the details of the project: from the idea to the stage of obtaining investments.

“The most important thing in any project is a close-knit team.  When there are like-minded people in your environment who work together with you towards the same goal, you will succeed.  I also advise you not to overestimate your expectations for the success of a startup.  You need to look at a startup with a sober look.  This way you will be sure that you are thinking the same way as your potential investor, and therefore you will know the real value of your product”.

Recall that the Tahrirchi startup became the winner of the 2nd wave of the mGovAward competition and received a prize of $50,000.