Chitacle for expats — a form of connection with the native language and with people who speak it. Partner play reading in Russian over video call — regardless of where you live now. Preserves the language, brings back the cultural context.
What "expat" means in this context
It's any Russian-speaking person living outside a Russian-speaking environment: emigrant, relocant, expat for work, someone who moved to family, born in another country in a Russian family. One thing unites them all — the absence of a constant Russian-speaking environment.
Chitacle is a platform where this connection is restored through the format of literary reading.
What Chitacle gives an expat
- A regular Russian-speaking conversation partner. Not just family.
- Contemporary language. The way people speak today in Russia and in emigration.
- Literary context. Connection with culture through text.
- Voice in form. Russian is actively used.
- A sense of "one's own." The partner is culturally close.
What's special about this
In emigration it's easy to lose contact with the language. Everyday communication in the family is limited. Native-speaker friends are few. After a few years, mistakes creep in, phrasings are forgotten, the intonation dulls. Chitacle is active support of the language through a format, not through "Russian classes."
And the main thing — this isn't a "school," it's a meeting. The partner isn't a "teacher" — they're just another Russian-speaking person, as mature as you are.
Where Chitacle expats live
- In Europe — from London to Berlin, from Paris to Prague.
- In the Balkans — Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria.
- In Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
- In Israel and Turkey.
- In the USA, Canada, Latin America.
- In Southeast Asia.
- In Australia and New Zealand.
Chitacle works online — geography doesn't matter.
What's valuable in this for a couple/family
- Long-distance couples where one partner is in emigration — the "Read with a friend" mode.
- Emigrant parents supporting the language to pass it on to the children.
- Bilingual adult children bringing back the language through a format.
Time zones
Chitacle works 24/7. You can meet at a time convenient for you — a partner will be found among those free in the same window.
Frequently asked questions
How does Chitacle help preserve the Russian language abroad?
Regular partner reading of a play in Russian with a native speaker — active support of the language through a format, not through "classes." The partner isn't a teacher, but the same kind of mature Russian-speaking person.
How does the system match a partner if I'm in a different time zone?
Chitacle works 24/7. A partner is matched among those free in the same window, regardless of time zone.
How do I get the play text as a file?
Write to chitacle.online@gmail.com with the play's title — we'll send you the file. You learn the title during your meeting in the theater.
On what terms can I use Chitacle plays?
All plays are freely distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0), perpetually and worldwide, with no rights claims. The only requirement — attribution to the author (Chitacle) and links to our resources.
What languages does the interface support?
The Chitacle interface is in five languages: Русский · English · Español · العربية · 中文. The play repertoire is being translated and continues to grow.
How much does it cost?
Your first meeting is on us. After that — by individual meetings or a monthly subscription.
Your first meeting is on us
Head to the Dressing Room at play-read.online and choose a meeting mode.
Your first meeting is on us.
Enter the theaterChitacle now speaks five languages — Русский · English · Español · العربية · 中文.
We did it quietly, but properly.