українською

Twelve years ago, small team at English For IT™ noticed a paradox that is still familiar to everyone in the Ukrainian tech industry: the most talented engineers get lost in meetings with foreign clients. Not because they don't know their craft — but because the language they were taught had nothing to do with real dailies, retrospectives, and pitch sessions.
The answer was English For IT™ — a local initiative in Odesa that became an international company working with IT professionals, universities, and corporate clients from Latin America to the United States. But Anna Gandrabura, the founder of English For IT™, quickly understood that language is only the tip of the iceberg. Below it lies the ability to present an idea, negotiate, adapt to a client's cultural context, and build trust in an international team.
Today, English For IT™ is an official Service Partner of Techosystem, offering special terms to cluster members. Yuliia, CEO of English For IT™ , on why 'obviously' is the most dangerous word in a multicultural team, how AI is changing the very value of knowing a language, and why Ukrainian founders must learn to talk about their product differently for an American, a Pole, and a partner from the DACH region.

Yuliia, English For IT™ has been on the market for over 12 years. You have made an impressive journey from a local initiative in Odesa to an international company that brings together teams and students across the world — from Europe to Latin America and the USA. How did it all begin? What was the first impulse that made you carve out 'IT English' and the development of soft skills into a distinct, larger philosophy?
It all started with a very simple observation. Working with IT professionals, we saw that even the most talented engineers often couldn't fully realize their potential because of a language barrier. Their technical skills were world-class, but communication remained the bottleneck.
At the time, almost no one was offering IT English of the kind clients actually needed. There were no suitable textbooks either. If courses existed that offered this kind of training, it was either too academic or completely disconnected from real working situations. We created both a program and a textbook that teach not just the language, but modern professional communication in a technology environment.
Today we work with IT professionals, universities, and IT companies in different countries around the world, but our mission remains the same: to help talents be heard at the global level.
The name of your flagship program, 'English For Tech,' speaks for itself. Why do classical academic methods of language learning so often prove powerless when a strong developer or CTO lands in a real environment of meetings, dailies, or retrospectives with foreign colleagues?
In tech, English is not needed to impress someone with perfect grammar. It is needed so that you are understood correctly, trusted, and your ideas carry weight.
Classical academic methods of language learning are not going anywhere, and they remain effective for many people — studying with a teacher, from a textbook, following the gold standards of Cambridge. But the question is not about the method; it is about the materials a person learns from. They must be authentic and current. Otherwise a person completes the whole course and never applies the knowledge in reality. That is exactly why our flagship program is known for its relevance and up-to-date content.

Your school places enormous emphasis on the synergy of language and soft skills. Why does flawless knowledge of verb tenses fail when a person cannot resolve conflicts constructively, give direct feedback, or adapt to the cultural specifics of clients — say, from the DACH region or the USA?
Language itself is only the tip of the iceberg. A person may know grammar but be unable to present an idea, negotiate, work in an international team, or build trust with a client. That is precisely why a broader philosophy of developing communication and intercultural competencies has formed around English For IT™.
In real work, English and soft skills go hand in hand. It is not only what you say in English that matters, but how you say it. For example, how you explain a risk when a project is going to miss a deadline. How you give feedback to a colleague so it is honest but not destructive. How you ask a question when you haven't fully understood the task.
The world is experiencing an AI boom today, and you actively analyze new AI tools. How does the emergence of automatic translators and generative AI change the learning industry? Will algorithms replace the need to learn a language, or will they, on the contrary, make the value of live human communication skills even more pronounced?
I don't believe that artificial intelligence will eliminate the need to learn languages. It is changing the very value of what it means to 'know a language.'
Previously, a large part of learning was focused on memorizing words, rules, and structures. Today, translators and AI can help with that in seconds. But they cannot fully replace the human ability to build relationships, persuade, conduct complex negotiations, show empathy, or read context.
For the education industry, this means a major shift: we are moving from teaching language to developing communicative competence. And it is precisely here that the role of teachers and trainers becomes more important, not less.
Adult Education in the technology sector has its own challenges — high levels of daily stress, a total lack of time, imposter syndrome. How do your programs work with the psychology of the learner to help overcome the language barrier and transform the fear of making mistakes into automatic confidence?
We overcome the language barrier through practice, which is a mandatory element even in self-paced courses. Our programs also include topics on confidence, emotional intelligence, the art of feedback, and even imposter syndrome, so that communication skills are developed in a comprehensive way. It also matters that many of our teachers are not only English teachers but also soft skills coaches. They know how to work with adult professionals, give constructive feedback, and create an environment where mistakes don't paralyze — on the contrary, they push our students forward, with even more courage.

English For IT™ is an official Service Partner of the Techosystem ecosystem. Why was it important for your company to support Ukrainian product and service businesses by offering special terms to cluster members? What global value do you see in this collaboration?
We have always been part of the Ukrainian tech ecosystem, and we don't want to stop — even now, when we are present on the international stage. The greatest value of our partnership is in unity. We call it friendship. The special terms for Techosystem members are our way of supporting businesses that are already creating value for Ukraine at the international level. Because we are all — together with you and them — in the same boat.
Ukrainian startups have incredible technical potential, but often face difficulties when entering foreign markets, pitching, or attracting investment from international venture funds. What are the most common language-and-culture pain points and mistakes you observe in founders during international scaling?
For many years we have been mentors at various accelerators — including 1991 Accelerator — on topics of English, pitching, and international communication. So we often see the same story: a founder or startup has a very strong product, but when they start talking about it in English, some of that strength simply gets lost.
Another typical mistake: not studying the audience — that is, the country they are pitching to. Again, it is not enough to translate your speech into English and deliver it. You need to adapt the message, the examples, the tone, the structure, and even the level of directness to the people who are listening.
A pitch to an American investor, a Polish corporate client, or a partner from the DACH region should not sound the same.

If a company within Techosystem decides to invest in developing its team with you, where should it start: a comprehensive team language level test (Language Level Test for companies), intensive business-express communication workshops, or targeted preparation of managers for interviews and presentations?
I would advise starting not with the choice of format, but with an understanding of the team's real need.Sometimes a company thinks it needs a general English course, but after testing it turns out that the problem is not the language level but specific work situations: people go silent in meetings, get lost on client calls, or take offense at feedback from others and don't know how to give it themselves. As a baseline — we always start with a free assessment, and after that everything is individual.
What is the primary impact English For IT™ aims to leave on the Ukrainian and global technology ecosystem in the coming years? Do you believe that full language barrier-freedom is the key to Ukraine's global business agency?
I am convinced that language barrier-freedom is one of the foundations of Ukraine's global competitiveness.Ukraine has long been exporting not only technologies or services, but also intellect, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking. But for our companies, founders, and specialists to influence the global order, it is not enough to simply create quality products. We need to be able to talk about them, defend our ideas, build partnerships, and engage in global dialogue.
That is why our main impact is to help Ukrainian talents be visible and influential in the global technology ecosystem.In a few years, I want us to be talking not about whether Ukrainians can work in the international market. That question was answered long ago. I want us to be talking more about Ukrainian founders, engineers, scientists, and leaders as people who are shaping the future of global technology.
If English For IT™ helps make that happen — even in part — I will consider our mission accomplished.

As a leader managing a distributed international team, what is the main piece of advice you would give to Ukrainian founders who aspire to build a strong, resilient, and multicultural team ready for any global challenge?
Block phrases like: 'I thought that...', 'It was logical, wasn't it?', 'Didn't you understand?', 'I was sure that was obvious.'
In a multicultural team, 'obviously' is a very dangerous word. What is read between the lines in one culture may not be read at all in another. If your team includes people from different countries and you all communicate in English — that's great! But are you sure you are actually understanding each other and communicating effectively?
My advice for strong international teams: overcommunication with open eyes, open ears, and a willingness to ask questions.