Have you ever heard of tandem? The word itself means a bicycle built with saddles (车座) for two riders who are sitting one behind the other. The same thing is, when we learn a foreign language, we can find a native speaker who wishes to learn our languages. So we both get a chance to practice. This is the tandem exchange.
For example, I'm a native English speaker but I want to learn French. So I go to a tandem meeting. There I can find a native French speaker who wants to improve his or her English. Then we become "tandem" partners. I speak English with my French tandem partner for about an hour and help him or her with some English problems. After that, we speak French for an hour, too.
The idea of this language exchange is great because we can learn something about a language that we may not learn in class. This is the main reason why we can choose the tandem exchange as a way to learn a new language.
In the tandem exchange, we can also read passages with our partner. This way we can not only practice our pronunciation but also understand the meaning of difficult words in other languages. We can then have conversations about the passages in order to practice our speaking and listening.
So I advise you toparticipatein the tandem exchange. If there's no foreigner around you, online tandem exchange is also a good choice. Join in the tandem exchange and enjoy the chance of learning new languages and understanding the cultures of other countries!
