Where to Learn Icelandic: A Community Resource Born from Personal Need

The Problem

Ever since my wife and I moved to Iceland, we kept on learning Icelandic. We tried many different approaches: language schools and formal courses, self-study methods, mobile apps, and private teachers. It took time to find what worked best for us, since every person learns differently. While there are countless resources, courses, and learning methods out there, they're all spread across the internet. Some communities had compiled good lists, but they weren't easily accessible or discoverable.

The Lightbulb Moment

When studying Icelandic with our private teacher, we discovered yet another incredibly helpful resource we'd never heard of before. That's when it clicked: We need a centralized platform that's easy to find and accessible for everyone.

I let the idea grow over a few days until the perfect name came up, along with an SEO-friendly domain that answers the exact question beginners ask: wheretolearnicelandic.org

Building the Solution

After being laid off from my web development job, I had both the time and expertise to start building immediately. I chose Docusaurus, a React documentation framework, since it offers many essential features out of the box.

Technical Implementation

• Framework: Docusaurus (React-based static site generator)
• CMS: Strapi (open-source, with free cloud tier)
• Styling: CSS modules with nested structure
• Search: Algolia Docsearch (approved for special account)
• Content Format: MDX (Markdown + React components for accessibility)

The biggest technical challenge was adapting Docusaurus as a static site generator to pull current data dynamically. I also customized Algolia's data scraper to optimize search functionality for the site. I am currently working on a language filter for the content, so users can find the learning content in the language they find best for their learning experience.

Community Response

I promoted the website through the Learn Icelandic subreddit, Icelandic learning groups on Facebook, and direct outreach to language schools. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. On the first day alone, the site received over 2,000 visitors. Many people shared they'd experienced the same frustration and had been searching for exactly this type of resource. I've already received great content suggestions from the community and have been implementing them.

The Impact

I'm very happy about how people appreciate it and that it finds a use. I hope it will keep helping people to find their most fitting way of learning Icelandic, so they can benefit from it by becoming part of the culture, getting better chances at finding a job or just feel more connected to the Icelandic community.

The project continues to grow with community input, serving as a living resource for anyone on their Icelandic learning journey.