Language Exchange Community: The 5 Big Benefits of Joining

What is a language exchange community?

 

Learning a new language is a thrilling experience. The joy of learning new words, and letting new sounds roll off your tongue is paralleled by few other pursuits. However, knowing a language goes beyond simply the ability to construct grammatically correct sentences, or using precise articles and prepositions. Knowing a language is about expressing yourself with fluency and ease. And on that account, one of the best gifts you can give yourself is to join a language exchange community.

A language exchange community is a platform to practice your newly acquired linguistic skills and accelerate your mastery of the target language. It may be an online forum or even a neighbourhood club that brings together native speakers as well as learners at various levels of proficiency to engage in conversations and hone their skills.

 

What benefits can I expect from joining a language exchange community?

 

Being part of a community language learning program has a host of benefits for the learner, irrespective of what level they are currently at:

1. Making new friends. Learning should always be fun! And while conventional language classes and online tools are effective for the learning process, they can also feel isolating. The cumbersome written exercises, preparation for term exams and frustration that is likely to come up occasionally make the process doubly challenging. Joining a language exchange club, however, connects the individual with other learners who may have similar challenges and motivations. It’s a great opportunity to exchange tips with them, clarify doubts, practice your skills and most importantly, cheer each other on. And while you’re at it, you might just make some great friends to share your journey with!

2. Practicing your target language with native speakers. More often than not, language clubs see participation from native language speakers as well. For a new learner, engaging in conversations with a native speaker can offer a steep learning curve. Such conversation exchanges can help one learn the correct accent and intonations, improve comprehension and understand colloquial usage of the words. Many of these details are often easily lost in pen-and-paper drills since they are designed as academic exercises. A native speaker, on the other hand, can help fill in any such gaps by correcting you and giving you words that you don’t know yet. Moreover, he helps you understand the nuances that vary with the context or intent of the conversation. It’s the best way to learn how not to let your words get lost in translation!

3. Artificial Immersion. A language exchange community effectively functions as a microcosm of the country or region to which the target language belongs. To that effect, it offers the unique opportunity to enhance your exposure to the language and get familiar with its sounds and rhythms. Generally speaking, this gives your tongue the time to adapt to the language without having to travel afar. It also offers an intimate encounter with the language within the comfort of a safe environment. It helps you learn and grow, as opposed to the daunting prospect of finding yourself underprepared or ill-equipped while traveling in a foreign land. It makes you feel at home with the language before you step out to test your skills in the real world.

4. Learning through games and activities. Ploughing through the vocabulary, learning conjugations and composing passages is an essential part of learning a new language. But whether done in a classroom or alone, it can feel like an artificial, dull and uninspiring exercise. A community language learning program, however, is designed to facilitate experiential learning using games and activities that challenge the participants while reinforcing their skills. This prevents boredom from creeping in, and allows participants to continue practicing in a relaxed, non-threatening environment. By keeping things fun and simple, it also makes it easier for you to keep up your motivation and continue engaging with your target language!

5. Finding regular partners for conversation exchange. Learning a language is like building a muscle: the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes over time. As any expert will tell you, there is no substitute to a real conversation as far as learning languages goes. Remember how your parents taught you your mother tongue? It was by speaking, not with a textbook. It is only while engaging in a real dialogue that you can truly learn how to express and explain yourself. Textbook exercises may help learn the grammatical rules and vocabulary. But a grasp of the syntax and spontaneity of communication can only emerge by having a conversation exchange, no matter how intimidating it may seem. This is where being part of a language exchange community can truly pay off by putting helping you find partners to converse with and smooth the rough edges with regular practice.

 

With so many critical advantages, it is clear that joining a language exchange club should be on top of your list of things to do as a foreign language enthusiast. So without further ado, look for a community language learning program to master your target language!