My 3 Favorite Ways To Exchange Languages

       Language exchanging can be a very effective way to learn Spanish (or any other language). If done correctly, you can not only learn a language, but also gain a new friend, and/or business connection. I have exchanged languages with several people in several ways, and I would like to share with you my 3 favorite ways.

1. Speaky

        My all time favorite language exchange site is speaky.com. Where I live, there are not many Spanish speakers, but I wanted to be able to speak Spanish everyday. I found an app for my android called Speaky which allowed me to speak with Spanish speakers from all over the world. Speaky not only allows you to message, call, or videocall native Spanish speakers, but it allows you make corrections during the written conversations. When you make a mistake, or your language buddy makes a mistake on the instant messenger, you can fix their mistake and show them where they went wrong or vice versa. The best part of Speaky is that it is 100% free. You do not have to worry about a premium account in order to experience the full benefits unlike some language exchange sites. You also have the option to speak with native speakers, or if you do not feel confident enough yet, you can speak with non-native speakers. Go ahead and get a foreign language pen pal with Speaky.

2. Google+ Communities/Hangouts

        Google+ is capable of connecting you with many people around the world with the same interests as yours. With Google+ there are "communities" where you can share videos, pictures, and/or random thoughts or ideas within a certain group. I use google communities to share information about this blog, of course, and also to pass on other language learning information that I have seen from other bloggers. I also have used communities to connect with people who would like to give me feedback about my blog, and/or would like to talk to me about their language learning journey.

        Google Hangouts, is awesome because you can message and videocall people who want to practice speaking with you. With Google Hangouts, you can also go beyond speaking to just one person by doing a group videochat. You can group videochat with up to 10 people at a time. You can choose to link up with 5 English speakers and 5 Spanish speakers, all non-native speakers, or any other way you would like to arrange it. Either way it is a fun and interesting way to exchange languages with others who are just as eager as you.

3. Real Life

Two men conversing. 

        Yes, contrary to popular belief, there is a world that exists out there beyond the screen of your laptop or cell phone. The United States used to be the melting pot of the world, but many other countries are just as diverse nowadays. With Spanish and English being the 2nd and 3rd most widely spoken languages in the world, it should not be very hard to find someone to exchange languages with in real life. Make friends with someone who speaks your target language, and converse in person at a bar, a café, or anywhere you would like. Get away from the technology and learn first hand with real life experience. One benefit about doing a language exchange in person that the virtual ways do not have, is that there is so much more to see and talk about. If you were out on a walk with your new language buddy, you could practice talking about the scenery, or what people are doing. If you sit at a computer all day to talk, you are confined to a space and the other person can not see what you see, making it a little harder to come up with things to talk about constantly. Smart phones and technology are great, but let's bring back the social skills every once in a while.

Honorable Mentions

        I do not have a million social medias like the rest of the world, but I imagine that some of them would work for language exchanges if you found the right people. A lot of foreign people that I know have a Whatsapp. That may be a good place to connect with others who are wanting to learn a language. I'm not certain how it works, but I know that people love it. Also, Facebook and Twitter may be good places to conduct language exchanges as well. These sites have taken the world by storm, so if you know how to use them well, I'm sure you could find a great language buddy through them. 

Conclusion

        There are plenty of ways in which you can conduct a language exchange. I have found 3 that have worked great for me, and hopefully will work great for you. I have heard people mention other sites, but there is no need to pay for something that you could get for free, especially if the quality is the same. Go ahead and give these language exchange methods a try and if you like the info given here, go ahead and share the article with friends, family and colleagues.