Who Language Exchange Is For And How to Use It
An Overview of Language Exchange
A language exchange is a method of language learning through mutual incentive to practice one’s target language. For example, let’s say an English-speaking person is trying to learn how to speak Spanish, then this person will join a language exchange and meet a Spanish speaker who’s trying to learn English.
A language exchange can happen online or offline in-person at events, such as local Meetups. If you’re doing it online, you’ll most likely meet on Skype or another common usage is to learn through texting each other.
How does a Language Exchange work?
A language exchange is meant for one simple purpose: to meet another person that speaks a language you want to learn, who also wants to learn the language that you speak. This mutually beneficial relationships is the core function of a language exchange, whether it’s online or offline.
What languages can I learn using a language exchange?
You can learn almost any language using a language exchange. With hundreds of languages to learn, you just have to choose which one you want to start practicing. Keep in mind, that you’ll have a much higher chance of finding the right partner if you are learning a popular language like Spanish, French, or Mandarin.
Do I need to know how to speak my target language already to join a Language Exchange?
In most cases, yes. Because the objective of the language exchange is to practice your speaking skills in the target language that you want to learn, you should at least be conversation proficient. If you’re not at that level yet, we recommend that you learn the basics of a language first before using a language exchange.
How long will it take to find a language partner?
This will vary depending on which language exchange website you use, how much time you have to spend sending queries, and what your availabilities are.
Here’s one example of how a language exchange website search experience looks:
The biggest time gap will be spent after sending your requests and waiting for the language partners to respond back. After you are connected, you’ll also have to find a schedule that works for both you and your partner.
Where can I find language exchange websites online?
Here are some great language exchange websites that you can check out online:
Where can I find language exchange events offline?
There are 3 main websites that we recommend if you want to find ways to connect with fellow language learners in-person:
How is a language exchange different than Rype and other ways of language learning?
The big differences between these methods are experience, time, and effectiveness.
Let’s explore further:
More specifically, here is how Rype is different than a language exchange.
- Tony Amoyal,Founder of Getsidewalk.com
- “Since joining Rype, I save over 17 hours every month!”
Extra resources for language learning
- How to Learn a New Language in 90 Days
Complete Guide on How to Speak Spanish
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Conversation Exchange
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