Exchanging languages via technology can in some ways be very similar to face to face meetings, but this method has its own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone has the time to travel into their nearest town to exchange with native speaking friends face to face, and for some, even finding willing language exchange partners in their area can prove a challenge. The Internet can offer a great alternative and in this article we shall be exploring the gifts and challenges offered by online exchange and how to get the best from it.
Advantages of Online Language Exchange
One of the most obvious advantages of exchanging online is the fact that you are put in touch with an almost unlimited number of willing exchange partners from all over the globe without the added costs associated with face to face meetings. While we are primarily talking about verbal exchanges through media such as Skype, you also have access to chat rooms, forums and games in which you can practice your written Japanese, which is something you're unlikely to do face to face. With the global popularity of smart phones, we no longer even have to be sat at our desks to access this new form of digital exchange, making language exchange more accessible than ever before and available to even the busiest of schedules!➜ Recording vocabulary
A great advantage of using online messaging media to voice call, is that you can use the text option to support your exchange. For example, if you need to ask how you say a word, you can also ask your friend to type it for you, or you can attempt to type what you think you heard in kana and ask verbally 'like this?' as you send it or you can ask them to write it for you. Having new words typed out means you can keep referring back to them, enabling you to carry on the conversation without getting stuck every time you need the word.Maximise the Benefits: When you have to stop your partner to ask for clarity, try to get into the habit of typing the word or phrase, or writing it on a notepad beside you and then try to use the word right away. In the context of a conversation, this will usually happen naturally, because you needed that word for a reason.. If you have been given the word because you were trying to say something but couldn't, try to say the sentence once more with the new information. This might sound obvious, but it is very easy to continue the conversation without doing so, because by this point, you both know what you'd been trying to say.
Get into the habit of recording all your new words together after each session, whether that be copied and pasted into a document on your computer, or hand written into a notebook. If you use vocabulary lists, flash cards, or programs like anki to study from, add the words to those too, to ensure they're really anchored into your memory. You can also check your list before your next exchange, as this can often help to trigger topics of discussion. For example, you may have had to ask the meaning of 披露宴 (hirouen) because your friend was telling you they were attending a wedding reception. You can then practice using the word, by asking them how it went when you next catch them online.
➜ Recording Audio
If your partner is uncomfortable with you recording their voice, you could record just your own voice by recording your microphone only (I do this by wearing a headset so the other person's voice can't be heard through the mic). This way, you can still get the benefit of playing back your own Japanese and recognising where you made mistakes.
Maximise the Benefit: There are various ways in which you can use the audio you have made. Besides simply playing it back to relive the session and improve your listening comprehension, you can also use it to repeat after the native speaker in order to improve your pronunciation. After you have corrected your Japanese or looked up things you couldn't say, you can also play it back and pretend you're having the conversation again, only this time, you will speak more eloquently. This way, you can improve your conversation skills even when your friend isn't online!
➜ Written Exchange
There is one thing that exchanging online gives us that face to face cannot, and that is the opportunity to practice typing in Japanese. Thanks to online dictionaries, you have the option of looking up kanji you can't read, and unlike reading off a website, you can simply ask your partner to explain expressions you aren't familiar with. If you use chat rooms, you may also be able to use rikaichan/kun/sama, to help you with your reading. Exchanging frequently this way will help you to get used to seeing frequently used kanji, and unlike spoken exchanges, it allows you time to check what the person has said, and to think about how to answer. As such, this is a great method of exchange for beginners.Maximise the Benefit: If reading is difficult for you, then you might want to try exchanging somewhere that allows you to use a program like rikaichan that gives you the reading and meaning of words that you hover over with your mouse. Facebook is good for this, and it also doesn't demand such instant replies, allowing you to flick through your textbooks at leisure while you form a reply.
For those who are intermediate or above, I would advise against becoming too dependent on rikaichan type programs as they will remove the urgency to learn kanji, thus cancelling out one of the gifts of written interaction. Consider moving your chats to Skype, or using an app on your mobile phone, where checking words will require more effort, as this will make relying on your memory the more attractive method.
Disadvantages of Online Language Exchange
It seems that online language exchange is the ideal method, with so many different ways you can utilise the Internet for your language learning needs. However, there are a few issues to consider.➜ Lack of Visual Cues
It is surprising how much we learn to rely on things like body language and the environment around us, to help us infer meaning. When you are chatting to someone online with only the audio to go from, the difficulty can suddenly seem a lot more intense. Teachers of second languages are aware of the additional challenges students face when they're unable to see the speaker, and will sometimes simulate phone call situations in the classroom. It is not uncommon for proficient speakers to report that the one area they still haven't got the hang of, is the elusive phone call.
Another issue is that as great as technology is, it isn't flawless, so you have issues such as time lag, sound quality and interference, which all add to the difficulty of catching the sounds your friend is making and thus recognising the words.
Another issue is that as great as technology is, it isn't flawless, so you have issues such as time lag, sound quality and interference, which all add to the difficulty of catching the sounds your friend is making and thus recognising the words.
Remedy: The disadvantages of speaking online can blessings in disguise,. Without visual cues, you are forced to get all your information from what your partner is saying, allowing you to naturally concentrate much more. Have you ever been in a situation where you're speaking to someone in Japanese and suddenly realise you weren't listening to the words? When they repeat what they said, you realise you did know the words, but somehow you'd just zoned out and were listening to the sounds, but not the words. The amount of attention required when chatting online helps to remedy or prevent this habit.
I mentioned in the last article, that you can tune your ear to a language by mouthing along with the speaker. Unfortunately, this isn't usually acceptable when you're face to face with someone, but if they can't see your face, you're given the perfect opportunity to move your mouth as much as possible. This may just help you to catch more of what your partner says.
You could also consider video chat, which will allow you to see your partner's body language and facial expressions. Not everyone is comfortable with this however, and the lag that is usually experienced with video conferencing can make it harder to use mouth movement and more subtle facial expressions as cues, but you may find it useful, and it feels a little more personal to be able to see someone's face.
➜ Making Conversation
Depending on your level, free conversation might not be possible due to your limited vocabulary. Shyness or anxiety may also hold you back, especially until you get to know your online partner and become more relaxed around him or her. This of course, poses an issue during face to face interactions too, but the remedy is slightly less obvious online, as shopping together for shoes, or getting out a textbook, isn't quite so easy.
Remedy: It can be a good idea to focus your conversations by doing an activity together. Online games are helpful for this. If you are using Facebook, there are multiplayer games available that allow you to still access the chat window. Skype itself has a few simple built-in games that you could try. You could share interesting or amusing videos you have found online and then discuss them while watching them. There are also online applications such as Ameba Pigg that allow you to create an avatar of yourself and interact with others in a virtual world. If you're not yet confident with reading, you could meet up with your language exchange partner and hang around together, using Skype to discuss what is going on.
There are also opportunities for exchanging languages within paid-for games. The online Minecraft group Kotoba Miners, is a fantastic place to hang out with both native and non-native speakers of Japanese, and practice your language skills while focusing on missions and adventures together. They even offer Japanese lessons in-game via an ingenious 'classroom' map...
Conducting Successful Sessions
Many of the principles discussed in the last article will apply to online exchanges too. However, there are some extra details that only apply to, or are only possible with online exchanges.
➜ Choosing a Suitable Time
The good thing about using the Internet is that you can have as many exchange partners as you feel you can handle, and can just dip into the exchange media of your choice whenever you're online, hoping to catch someone there. Alternatively, it can be useful to schedule specific times when you can meet together. Finding a suitable time can be tricky if you live in different time zones, but a good place to start is by noting the times you both appear to be online. Of course, people often use their smartphones to access the Internet, so this isn't going to help if your friend was just messaging you during their lunch break. So the next step is to get a timezone converter such as worldtimebuddy.com. You can ask your friend when they are free, and then check your local time and see if there are any good windows. The more prepared you are for late nights or early mornings, the more easy this process will be.➜ Cheat Sheets
Whether you are planing to exchange via text only, or wish to voice chat, you could consider preparing cheat sheets for yourself. These can then be pinned to the wall next to you, or displayed somewhere on your screen that you can easily glance at. Of course, you can't put everything on these, but you can switch them around depending on what you would like to practice. For example, I have a cheat sheet that lists alternative expressions for words or phrases I tend to overuse. I used to always end sentences with 'でしょう', rarely bothering with alternatives for indicating a degree of uncertainty such as 'かも (知れない)', 'じゃない?', 'と思う'.. and so on. Having these alternatives listed in front of me while I was speaking, helped me to avoid constantly using でしょう, and give the others some practice. Over time, I could practice switching between them depending on exactly how confident I was in the likelihood of my statement.Another time cheat sheets are helpful, is when you are using video games to exchange. You can gather together useful vocabulary and then display it nearby as you play. Vocabulary can be collected quite easily by checking out websites for the game in Japanese, or watching lets plays by natives.
You can also write down grammar you have been recently studying in order to prompt yourself to practice it. Try selecting 2 or 3 structures you'd like to try, and keep glancing at them while you're chatting. It may be that you never get a suitable chance to use them, but an opportunity usually comes up sooner or later, and you can always cheat and deliberately steer the conversation in a particular direction in order to use your grammar.
Useful Sites and applications
Before you can start exchanging languages, you will need to find willing partners. If you use it, you can sometimes make friends with native speakers via Lang-8. When you notice someone from Japan has written a post in your native language, you can send them a message introducing yourself and then ask if they would be interested in language exchange. Alternatively, you could write a lang-8 post in Japanese, stating that you are looking for native speakers to practice conversation with.There are many language exchange sites that help to put you in touch with others seeking language exchange partners. In particular, My Language Exchange.com stands out as it offers free lesson plans to work through together.
If you don't mind throwing yourself into the deep end, you could consider using Chatpad which allows you to text chat with strangers in Japanese. Or for a more interactive way to exchange with strangers, you could sign up to something like Ameba Pigg which lets you chat to other players while exploring the world and playing mini-games. Or for more online games that allow you to interact with players, check out Demonhead's Online Multiplayer Games thread on the forum.
For phone users, Hello Talk is a fantastic application that allows you to meet people to exchange languages with both verbally and via text.
If you have already met your online exchange partner, then you may wish to add them to an application such as Skype or Line. Line lets you exchange text messages and make calls from your phone for free, and is particularly popular in Japan, so you may find you are often being asked if you have it by your Japanese friends.
Conclusion
For most people, developing spoken language ability doesn't happen until they put themselves in situations where they can use the language as a tool to communicate. Especially for those who can't find native speakers in their local area, or struggle to find the time and money to meet regularly with native speakers, the Internet is an invaluable way to ensure you don't have to miss out on conversation practice. Whether it be a short text exchange on your commute to work, or a 30 minute chat before you retire to bed, it is easier to fit online exchanges into a busy lifestyle. Even at times when you can spare 4 or 5 hours to exchange, the short walk to your PC surely beats a 30 minute train ride, thus allowing more of your free time to be spent practicing.So what are you waiting for? You're online as you read this aren't you? So why not grab yourself a cup of tea and then dive right into the exciting world of online language exchange! Don't forget to drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts and experiences of online language exchange.
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