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Language exchange

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For other uses, see Language exchange (Austrian education).

A Language exchange is a relationship between two or more people who have interactions around the exchange of language.[1] People typically join into a language exchange to gain practice in a target language. Other reasons for joining might include cultural exchange or companionship.[2] Partners of a language exchange are usually native speakers of each other’s target language. Meetings between language exchange partners can be held in person or via videoconferencing platforms. Potential challenges of language exchanges can involve differing motivations, cultural miscommunications or scheduling conflicts. Language exchanges are sometimes called Tandem language learning.[3]

In modern contexts, a language exchange most often refers to the mutual teaching of partners' first languages. Language exchanges are generally considered helpful for developing language proficiency, especially in speaking fluency and listening comprehension. Language exchanges that take place through writing or text chats also improve reading comprehension and writing ability. The aim of language exchange is to develop and increase language knowledge and intercultural skills.[4] This is usually done through social interaction with the native speaker.[4] Given that language exchanges generally take place between native speakers of different languages, they may also improve participants' cross-cultural communication skills.

History

This practice has long been used by individuals to exchange knowledge of foreign languages. For example, John Milton gave Roger Williams an opportunity to practise Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French, while receiving lessons in Dutch in exchange.[5] Language exchange first came about in the early 1800s where school aged children in England were introduced to the newly set up program.[3] Countries such as Belgium and Switzerland found the language exchange program very easy to run as there were many languages spoken in the one country.[3] French and German youth picked up language exchange in 1968 which then spread to Turkey and Madrid.

In education

Universities are increasingly experimenting with language exchanges as part of the language learning curriculum. In this respect, language exchanges have a similar role as study abroad programs and language immersion programs in creating an environment where the language student must use the foreign language for genuine communication outside of a classroom setting. However, there are also concerns that language exchanges cannot be used as a substitute for formal language education, given the difficulty of using language exchanges in learning formal grammar and writing skills.

Benefits

Language exchanges have been viewed as a helpful tool to aid language learning at language schools and among individual learners. Language exchanges tend to benefit oral proficiency, fluency, colloquial vocabulary acquisition, and vernacular usage.

Another major benefit of language exchange is the exposure to the native speaker's culture.[6] Understanding the culture of native speaker will help with understanding why and how the language is used.[6]

Language exchanges can provide a friendly and informal environment for new language learners. Both speakers are trying to learn and understand, and such an atmosphere can reduce pressure on either partner.[6] This also gives the learning environment a fun and productive atmosphere. An additional benefit is that people are learning faster when they have a one-on-one connection with the "teacher".

Many people choose to learn one-on-one but struggle try to find a teacher. People like this are highly motivated to learn a new language. The native speakers who are helping these people may feel a new sense of motivation since they are now responsible for teaching this person.[3][6]

Technology

Most language exchanges are set up through websites with platforms to accommodate this specific type of activity. Such sites offer options for not only target language but also country of origin, gender, age, and language proficiency level of a potential partner. Partners can also usually choose how they would like to meet with their partner(s). If that choice is for telecommunication software, one can also usually select and message a partner actively utilizing the same platform they are.[7] Videoconferencing software can be used to conduct either video or voice calls. They can typically also be used to chat. Many language exchange websites also often include their own messaging system.

With the growth of the internet, language exchanges using social networks and voice-over-IP technologies have become increasingly popular. Language learning social networks, such as HelloTalk and Tandem, and Conversation Exchange now offer students the ability to find language partners around the world, and speak, text chat or video through instant messengers. This has allowed students who previously could not find foreign language partners to search online for native speakers of that language. Another perk of this technology is that users can verify their texts with native speakers. This way there will be less grammar mistakes and bigger improvements in languages.[8] There are now over 24 different online language exchange groups that can be joined.[3]

Language exchange platforms also often offer a wealth of eligible partners. Some have as many as several million users.[9] The diversity among the countries of origin for potential partners can mean the opportunity to experience a myriad of linguistic and cultural exchanges.[10]

Challenges

Online relationships can give rise to many of the same complications that may exist in real-life relationships. Sometimes partners can have different motivations for joining into a language exchange. It can be disappointing when an individual partner’s goals for the relationship conflict with one another; such disagreement of purpose can lead to an end of a language partnership.[11]

Personality mismatches can be as prevalent in online relationships as they can be in offline ones. Unresolved incompatibility issues can be even more difficult to overcome in remote relationships, however, and related factors can cause one or more participants of a language exchange to either gradually or abruptly withdraw from the relationship.[12]

Miscommunications can occur in any type of relationship, but they can be even more common between people from different cultures. Those who either anticipate or are otherwise prepared to deal with such misunderstandings may be better equipped for navigating online relationships with people of other cultures.[13]

Scheduling difficulties can exist between language partners from different regions throughout the world. Meetings between people located in different time zones can be an inconvenient fact of some language exchanges. In such cases, partners may need to compromise to select a meeting time which is not too disruptive to either person’s schedule.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.hellotalk.com/blog/what-is-a-language-exchange
  2. ^ https://storylearning.com/blog/making-language-exchanges-work-for-you
  3. ^ a b c d e Acar, Kobayashi, Adam, Hideo (2011). "Whys and How's of Language Exchange Meetings" (PDF). PDF.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Ahn, Tae youn (2016). "Learner agency and the use of affordances in language-exchange interactions". Language and Intercultural Communication. 16 (2): 164–181. doi:10.1080/14708477.2015.1125911. S2CID 147359484.
  5. ^ The Jews of Rhode Island, by George M. Goodwin, Ellen Smith (2004) ISBN 1-58465-424-4, p. 132
  6. ^ a b c d "The Benefits of Language Exchange Partnerships". YurTopic. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  7. ^ https://www.conversationexchange.com/search.php?lg=en
  8. ^ "Practice with Native Speakers". 24 April 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. ^ https://www.speaky.com/about-us/
  10. ^ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/conversation-exchange_conversation-exchange-hits-1-million-users-activity-7045108914043973632-TW9v
  11. ^ https://howdoyou.do/five-common-problems-with-language-exchanges-and-how-to-fix-them/
  12. ^ https://www.ourmental.health/toxic-and-fake/navigating-the-digital-minefield-signs-of-a-toxic-relationship-online
  13. ^ https://open.library.okstate.edu/interculturalcommunication/chapter/persuasion-across-cultures/
  14. ^ https://actualfluency.com/language-exchanges-good-bad-ugly/
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