Find a Language Partner on the Internet!
The internet is an amazing resource for students to connect with native speakers all over the world.
Conversing with a language partner is a great way to increase your fluency and confidence with a
foreign language and help your partner with English at the same time. These two favorite websites
are a great supplement to classes at Let’s Talk Language School:
www.livemocha.com
Live Mocha offers Mandarin, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese,
Russian, and Spanish. You can register with this free online site and complete written, listening, and
speaking exercises at your own level. One of the best aspects of this site is that you can
communicate with native speakers in a number of ways. You can send written exercises and
recordings of your voice to your “friends” and ask them for critiques. You can instant message with
native speakers, and you can speak to native speakers online with Yahoo Messenger or Skype.
Skype and Yahoo Messenger are programs that allow you to call other people on the internet for
free. These programs are free and provide excellent sound quality, especially with a microphone.
Go to www.skype.com or www.yahoo.com . One of the features of these programs that make them
especially useful when communicating with your language partner is the instant message feature. If
you are not sure what your partner said, or if they used an expression that you want to remember,
ask them to type it in to the instant message.
www.language-exchanges.org
The Mixxer at Dickinson College is a free website for language learners to find a language partner.
In addition to speaking with a language partner on Skype, you can submit documents and ask
native speakers to correct your writing.
To become a member on the Mixxer, register with the site and provide some information (as little or
as much as you wish) for your profile. The more information you provide, the more interesting you
are to potential language partners. As my 21 year-old daughter Emily told me, “You have to sound
hip and fresh, Mom!” Once you are a member, you are free to contact other members, and vice
versa. According to the Mixxer, there are 20,643 members looking for a language exchange!
Here are some tips from The Mixxer for having success with a language partner:
The internet is an amazing resource for students to connect with native speakers all over the world.
Conversing with a language partner is a great way to increase your fluency and confidence with a
foreign language and help your partner with English at the same time. These two favorite websites
are a great supplement to classes at Let’s Talk Language School:
www.livemocha.com
Live Mocha offers Mandarin, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese,
Russian, and Spanish. You can register with this free online site and complete written, listening, and
speaking exercises at your own level. One of the best aspects of this site is that you can
communicate with native speakers in a number of ways. You can send written exercises and
recordings of your voice to your “friends” and ask them for critiques. You can instant message with
native speakers, and you can speak to native speakers online with Yahoo Messenger or Skype.
Skype and Yahoo Messenger are programs that allow you to call other people on the internet for
free. These programs are free and provide excellent sound quality, especially with a microphone.
Go to www.skype.com or www.yahoo.com . One of the features of these programs that make them
especially useful when communicating with your language partner is the instant message feature. If
you are not sure what your partner said, or if they used an expression that you want to remember,
ask them to type it in to the instant message.
www.language-exchanges.org
The Mixxer at Dickinson College is a free website for language learners to find a language partner.
In addition to speaking with a language partner on Skype, you can submit documents and ask
native speakers to correct your writing.
To become a member on the Mixxer, register with the site and provide some information (as little or
as much as you wish) for your profile. The more information you provide, the more interesting you
are to potential language partners. As my 21 year-old daughter Emily told me, “You have to sound
hip and fresh, Mom!” Once you are a member, you are free to contact other members, and vice
versa. According to the Mixxer, there are 20,643 members looking for a language exchange!
Here are some tips from The Mixxer for having success with a language partner:
- Be active, login, search for a partner, then contact them via Skype or email. Don’t be afraid to
contact more than one person. If that doesn’t work, be patient. - Once you find a language partner, agree in advance how often you’ll meet and how long you’
ll spend on each language. Try to keep your conversation dates; it’s very easy to loose
contact with your language partner. And if you find a good partner, one that can talk with you
at times that are convenient for you, hang on to them! Different time zones and work
schedules can get in the way of making regular contact with your language partner. - Don’t switch back and forth throughout the conversation. Stick with one language at a time.
Otherwise, the person with more advanced second language skills tends to dominate the
conversation. - Be super polite. You are from different cultures and it’s easy to have misunderstandings.
Maintain your sense of humor.
Podcasts
There are numerous FREE Podcasts for learning languages available for
downloading.
Go to i iTunes , click on iTunes Store, click on Podcasts, and then click on
Education.
As a Spanish student, I like Notes in Spanish and Insta Spanish. Send us your
favorites!
If you don't have an iPod or MP3 player, you can listen to Podcasts on your
computer.
There are numerous FREE Podcasts for learning languages available for
downloading.
Go to i iTunes , click on iTunes Store, click on Podcasts, and then click on
Education.
As a Spanish student, I like Notes in Spanish and Insta Spanish. Send us your
favorites!
If you don't have an iPod or MP3 player, you can listen to Podcasts on your
computer.
Links to Spanish learning resources on the web:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
BBC Spanish Website - learning resources and advice for all abilities
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/spanish/
Spanish Steps - A short course to kick-start your Spanish - for work, holidays or
just for fun (Realplayer needed)
www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/lj/
News in Spanish:
www.bbcmundo.com
http://espanol.yahoo.co
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
BBC Spanish Website - learning resources and advice for all abilities
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/spanish/
Spanish Steps - A short course to kick-start your Spanish - for work, holidays or
just for fun (Realplayer needed)
www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/lj/
News in Spanish:
www.bbcmundo.com
http://espanol.yahoo.co
For lots of grammar practice, visit Barbara Nelson's award-winning web site:
www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercise/index.html
She is a Colby College Spanish professor.
www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercise/index.html
She is a Colby College Spanish professor.
Italian resources on the Web:
Davida recommends these Italian exercises from the University of Victoria
Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies:
http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100
Davida recommends these Italian exercises from the University of Victoria
Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies:
http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100
Resources for learning Mandarin:
We recommend Pimsleur CDs. This all-audio program is a great way to practice while
driving in the car.
Practice your Mandarin at the internet site developed by University of Maine,
Farmington psychology professor Marilyn Shea: Ting
We recommend Pimsleur CDs. This all-audio program is a great way to practice while
driving in the car.
Practice your Mandarin at the internet site developed by University of Maine,
Farmington psychology professor Marilyn Shea: Ting
Check out this great online dictionary which features definitions, translations, and
common expressions for many different languages. www.wordreference.com
common expressions for many different languages. www.wordreference.com
This web site includes thousands of links to many different languages. The web
master of this extensive collection of Internet resources is Jim Becker, a
professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Super Language Web Site
master of this extensive collection of Internet resources is Jim Becker, a
professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Super Language Web Site
Let's Talk . . .
Resources
Resources
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