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(单词翻译)

Five Tips for Great Language Exchanges

By Alice Bryant

14 January 2020

Harry1 Qiu began learning2 English as a young boy in Shanghai, China. Over the years, he became fluent, and later came to the United States for college.

Qiu now attends Dickinson College in the state of Pennsylvania, where he studies international relations.

There, 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.

We call this a language exchange.

Such 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.

Colleges and universities are not the only places offering language exchanges.

Today, there are many websites and apps designed to connect language learners around the world. Popular sites like Conversation Exchange, Lingo3 Globe, Easy Language Exchange and The Mixxer offer an almost endless number of partners to choose from.

But 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.

Tip 1- What to ask yourself

Experts say the first step is ask yourself some important questions.

Todd Bryant is a language technology specialist who runs The Mixxer, a website with more than 35,000 active users4. The free service began at Dickinson College. But it is meant for people around the world looking for practice partners.

Bryant says the most important question to ask yourself is why you want to learn the language.

People 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.

Another question to ask yourself, Bryant says, is how much free time you really have.

"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?'"

In 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?

Knowing 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.

Tip 2 - Find the right partner

Now, you are ready for tip 2 - finding5 the right partner.

As 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?

Bryant says, when reading profiles7, look for some important signs.

"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 profile6 filled out and haven't been active and are learning six languages."

Another 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.

Tip 3 - State your expectations

Once 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.

Explain 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.

Bryant says expressing expectations in advance will give the partnership8 a higher chance of going well. But, he notes, avoid being too rigid9. 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.

Greg 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 noted10 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.

Tip 4 - Come prepared

Now, let's say you have secured11 a partner and your first meeting is in a few days. You are ready for tip 4: prepare ahead of time.

Before each meeting, prepare some questions on a topic of your choice. That will give you the chance to look up related12 words as well as think about your own answers.

Preparing topics ahead of time will also help you avoid having nothing to say at your meetings, notes Bryant.

"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."

Or, you'll find that you keep talking about the same things at every meeting, which you want to avoid.

Tip 5 – Focus on communication

Now we move to tip 5 – focusing on communication.

One 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 freely13, even if they make mistakes.

Bryant recommends giving only one or two corrections after each piece of dialogue.

Qiu says he corrects a partner only if the person is struggling to think of a word or cannot finish a sentence.

"If they are trying to speak fluently, you don't really want to disturb that tempo14...so you just definitely15 keep them speaking."

Qui's advice to people who want to try a language exchange is simple: Don't be afraid to make mistakes!

More Tips from Experts

Avoid sites that post only profiles of young, attractive people on their homepage. It may be a sign the site is more for meeting people than language practice.

Be aware that some websites are free but others charge fees to use their services.

If you plan to only have online meetings, you can use a separate Skype or other video account for privacy16.

Agree in advance on the amount of time you will spend on each language; it is best to split17 the time equally.

Stay in each target language during meetings. For example, if you are practicing Japanese, do not use any other language.

Avoid using the meetings as grammar lessons. Do not expect your partner to act like a grammar teacher.

Words in This Story

fluent - adj. able to speak a language easily and very well

practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people

app - n. a computer program that performs a special function

tip - n. a piece of advice or expert or authoritative18 information

preference - n. a feeling of liking19 or wanting one person or thing more than another person or thing

rigid - adj. not willing to change

translator - n. a person who changes words spoken or written in one language into a different language

focus - v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

dialogue - n. a piece of conversation between two or more people


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
2 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
3 lingo S0exp     
n.语言不知所云,外国话,隐语
参考例句:
  • If you live abroad it helps to know the local lingo.住在国外,学一点当地的语言自有好处。
  • Don't use all that technical lingo try and explain in plain English.别尽用那种专门术语,用普通的词语解释吧。
4 users 9bc65c2abec141778ffaa729489f3e87     
用户,使用者( user的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
  • Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。
5 finding 5tAzVe     
n.发现,发现物;调查的结果
参考例句:
  • The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
  • That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。
6 profile aQwxV     
n.侧面,轮廓,人物素描;概要,人物简介;v.描绘...轮廓,评论人物
参考例句:
  • I turned my head and saw the profile of a man.我转过头,看见一个人的侧影。
  • He drew her profile.他给她画侧面像。
7 profiles d970728376beb137057865c63baa822f     
n.侧面( profile的名词复数 );外形;印象;[建筑学](建筑物等的)纵断面图v.扼要介绍( profile的第三人称单数 );给…画侧面图;描…的轮廓;用数字图表(或量变曲线)表示
参考例句:
  • The company's senior executives were insisting on low profiles. 公司的高级官员现在都尽量不抛头露面。 来自辞典例句
  • A line of hills profiles against the night sky. 夜空衬托出隐约可见的群山。 来自辞典例句
8 partnership NmfzPy     
n.合作关系,伙伴关系
参考例句:
  • The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
  • Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
9 rigid jDPyf     
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的
参考例句:
  • She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
  • The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严,几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。
10 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
11 secured secured     
adj. 无虑的, 安心的, 安全的 adj. 牢靠的, 稳妥的 vt. 固定, 获得, 使...安全 vi. (海上工作人员)停止工作 vi. (船)抛锚, 停泊
参考例句:
  • He secured the appointment of professor of English literature in the university. 他获聘为该大学的英国文学教授。
  • By strengthening the embankments they secured the village from floods. 他们加固河堤让村子免受洪水之灾。
12 related vkGzSv     
adj.有关系的,有关联的,叙述的,讲述的
参考例句:
  • I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
13 freely LiexN     
adv.自由地,随便地,无拘无束地
参考例句:
  • She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水,痛痛快快地哭了起来。
  • A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动,无固定形态。
14 tempo TqEy3     
n.(音乐的)速度;节奏,行进速度
参考例句:
  • The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
  • They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。
15 definitely RuJzx0     
adv.一定地,肯定地;明确地,确切地
参考例句:
  • The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛,这个队肯定会输。
  • I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前,我一定回家。
16 privacy 5Q3xC     
n.私人权利,个人自由,隐私权
参考例句:
  • In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中,保密是不可能的。
  • She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。
17 split avXwG     
n.劈开,裂片,裂口;adj.分散的;v.分离,分开,劈开
参考例句:
  • Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了?
  • The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。
18 authoritative 6O3yU     
adj.有权威的,可相信的;命令式的;官方的
参考例句:
  • David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
  • Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼,同时又透着威严。
19 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

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