Five Tips for Great Language Exchanges
2020-01-15
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1Harry Qiu began learning English as a young boy in Shanghai, China.
2Over the years, he became fluent, and later came to the United States for college.
3Qiu now attends Dickinson College in the state of Pennsylvania, where he studies international relations.
4There, he is learning two more languages - Russian and Japanese.
5And through the school, he gets to talk one-on-one with native speakers on Skype.
6For example, when he meets with his Japanese partner, Qiu helps his partner practice English.
7His partner helps him practice Japanese.
8We call this a language exchange.
9Such exchanges can be one of the best ways to improve your conversation skills.
10Qiu says they have given him the chance to experience the difference between real life conversation and classroom learning.
11Colleges and universities are not the only places offering language exchanges.
12Today, there are many websites and apps designed to connect language learners around the world.
13Popular sites like Conversation Exchange, Lingo Globe, Easy Language Exchange and The Mixxer offer an almost endless number of partners to choose from.
14But doing an exchange without knowing what to expect can sometimes lead to wasted time.
15So today, we have five tips for how to have a great language exchange.
16Experts say the first step is ask yourself some important questions.
17Todd Bryant is a language technology specialist who runs The Mixxer, a website with more than 35,000 active users.
18The free service began at Dickinson College.
19But it is meant for people around the world looking for practice partners.
20Bryant says the most important question to ask yourself is why you want to learn the language.
21People who have a serious reason for learning a language are usually more dependable exchange partners.
22These reasons can include, for example, moving to another country or using the language for work.
23Less serious reasons might be wanting to meet new people or use the language for an overseas vacation.
24Another question to ask yourself, Bryant says, is how much free time you really have.
25"And then also think about how much time you're willing to spend on this so you can then find a good match. 'Are you willing to spend an hour or two more per week to do this?'"
26In addition, consider your preferences.
27Are you looking for speaking practice or do you prefer written messages?
28If you are seeking speaking practice, would you rather have video meetings or meet in person?
29Knowing your preferred method will help you choose the right website or app.
30Some websites, for example, list people's cities, so you can easily make plans to meet partners in person. Others do not.
31Now, you are ready for tip 2 - finding the right partner.
32As I said earlier, many of these websites can have hundreds of partners to choose from in the language you want to learn.
33So how can you limit your search?
34Bryant says, when reading profiles, look for some important signs.
35"People who have been on the site and have been active and have a reason to learn the language are much more likely to be good partners than people who have been on the site for a week and don't really have their profile filled out and haven't been active and are learning six languages."
36Another thing to keep in mind is that it is better to find at least two exchange partners.
37People lead busy lives and one person may not be available every week.
38Once you do find a person who seems like a good fit, be clear about what your expectations are in the first email. That's tip number 3.
39Explain to the person things such as how long you'd like meetings to be and how often you'd like to meet.
40And, for example, if you plan to meet in person, say if you are fine with noisy places or only quieter places.
41Bryant says expressing expectations in advance will give the partnership a higher chance of going well.
42But, he notes, avoid being too rigid.
43For example, if you're hoping for Wednesday nights every week, you'll have better luck if you state other times that also could work for you.
44Greg Scott is a Japanese-to-English translator based in Australia.
45He wrote for Lingualift.com about his early days of learning English.
46In the story, he noted that it was easier for him to have unplanned Skype meetings with his exchange partner because of his busy work schedule.
47But this plan was something both partners agreed on.
48Now, let's say you have secured a partner and your first meeting is in a few days.
49You are ready for tip 4: prepare ahead of time.
50Before each meeting, prepare some questions on a topic of your choice.
51That will give you the chance to look up related words as well as think about your own answers.
52Preparing topics ahead of time will also help you avoid having nothing to say at your meetings, notes Bryant.
53"Otherwise, you might find yourself 10 minutes in and you've already gone through the 'What do you do for a living?' and 'if you like to travel' kind of questions and you have nothing else to say."
54Or, you'll find that you keep talking about the same things at every meeting, which you want to avoid.
55Now we move to tip 5 - focusing on communication.
56One thing to keep in mind during meetings is that the main goal is conversation practice.
57So i t's important to let your partner speak freely, even if they make mistakes.
58Bryant recommends giving only one or two corrections after each piece of dialogue.
59Qiu says he corrects a partner only if the person is struggling to think of a word or cannot finish a sentence.
60"If they are trying to speak fluently, you don't really want to disturb that tempo...so you just definitely keep them speaking."
61Qui's advice to people who want to try a language exchange is simple: Don't be afraid to make mistakes!
62I'm Alice Bryant.
1Harry Qiu began learning English as a young boy in Shanghai, China. Over the years, he became fluent, and later came to the United States for college. 2Qiu now attends Dickinson College in the state of Pennsylvania, where he studies international relations. 3There, he is learning two more languages - Russian and Japanese. And through the school, he gets to talk one-on-one with native speakers on Skype. For example, when he meets with his Japanese partner, Qiu helps his partner practice English. His partner helps him practice Japanese. 4We call this a language exchange. 5Such exchanges can be one of the best ways to improve your conversation skills. Qiu says they have given him the chance to experience the difference between real life conversation and classroom learning. 6Colleges and universities are not the only places offering language exchanges. 7Today, there are many websites and apps designed to connect language learners around the world. Popular sites like Conversation Exchange, Lingo Globe, Easy Language Exchange and The Mixxer offer an almost endless number of partners to choose from. 8But doing an exchange without knowing what to expect can sometimes lead to wasted time. So today, we have five tips for how to have a great language exchange. 9Tip 1- What to ask yourself 10Experts say the first step is ask yourself some important questions. 11Todd Bryant is a language technology specialist who runs The Mixxer, a website with more than 35,000 active users. The free service began at Dickinson College. But it is meant for people around the world looking for practice partners. 12Bryant says the most important question to ask yourself is why you want to learn the language. 13People who have a serious reason for learning a language are usually more dependable exchange partners. These reasons can include, for example, moving to another country or using the language for work. Less serious reasons might be wanting to meet new people or use the language for an overseas vacation. 14Another question to ask yourself, Bryant says, is how much free time you really have. 15"And then also think about how much time you're willing to spend on this so you can then find a good match. 'Are you willing to spend an hour or two more per week to do this?'" 16In addition, consider your preferences. Are you looking for speaking practice or do you prefer written messages? If you are seeking speaking practice, would you rather have video meetings or meet in person? 17Knowing your preferred method will help you choose the right website or app. Some websites, for example, list people's cities, so you can easily make plans to meet partners in person. Others do not. 18Tip 2 - Find the right partner 19Now, you are ready for tip 2 - finding the right partner. 20As I said earlier, many of these websites can have hundreds of partners to choose from in the language you want to learn. So how can you limit your search? 21Bryant says, when reading profiles, look for some important signs. 22"People who have been on the site and have been active and have a reason to learn the language are much more likely to be good partners than people who have been on the site for a week and don't really have their profile filled out and haven't been active and are learning six languages." 23Another thing to keep in mind is that it is better to find at least two exchange partners. People lead busy lives and one person may not be available every week. 24Tip 3 - State your expectations 25Once you do find a person who seems like a good fit, be clear about what your expectations are in the first email. That's tip number 3. 26Explain to the person things such as how long you'd like meetings to be and how often you'd like to meet. And, for example, if you plan to meet in person, say if you are fine with noisy places or only quieter places. 27Bryant says expressing expectations in advance will give the partnership a higher chance of going well. But, he notes, avoid being too rigid. For example, if you're hoping for Wednesday nights every week, you'll have better luck if you state other times that also could work for you. 28Greg Scott is a Japanese-to-English translator based in Australia. He wrote for Lingualift.com about his early days of learning English . In the story, he noted that it was easier for him to have unplanned Skype meetings with his exchange partner because of his busy work schedule. But this plan was something both partners agreed on. 29Tip 4 - Come prepared 30Now, let's say you have secured a partner and your first meeting is in a few days. You are ready for tip 4: prepare ahead of time. 31Before each meeting, prepare some questions on a topic of your choice. That will give you the chance to look up related words as well as think about your own answers. 32Preparing topics ahead of time will also help you avoid having nothing to say at your meetings, notes Bryant. 33"Otherwise, you might find yourself 10 minutes in and you've already gone through the 'What do you do for a living?' and 'if you like to travel' kind of questions and you have nothing else to say." 34Or, you'll find that you keep talking about the same things at every meeting, which you want to avoid. 35Tip 5 - Focus on communication 36Now we move to tip 5 - focusing on communication. 37One thing to keep in mind during meetings is that the main goal is conversation practice. So i t's important to let your partner speak freely, even if they make mistakes. 38Bryant recommends giving only one or two corrections after each piece of dialogue. 39Qiu says he corrects a partner only if the person is struggling to think of a word or cannot finish a sentence. 40"If they are trying to speak fluently, you don't really want to disturb that tempo...so you just definitely keep them speaking." 41Qui's advice to people who want to try a language exchange is simple: Don't be afraid to make mistakes! 42I'm Alice Bryant. 43Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 44______________________________________________________________ 45And don't forget to have fun! 46______________________________________________________________ 47Words in This Story 48fluent - adj. able to speak a language easily and very well 49practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it 50conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people 51app - n. a computer program that performs a special function 52tip - n. a piece of advice or expert or authoritative information 53preference - n. a feeling of liking or wanting one person or thing more than another person or thing 54rigid - adj. not willing to change 55translator - n. a person who changes words spoken or written in one language into a different language 56focus - v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific 57dialogue - n. a piece of conversation between two or more people