Language teachers commonly say that you should listen to music or television shows in the language for the exposure, but the usefulness of that is debatable at best. The speed and inflection of the singer could easily throw somebody off with pronunciation. Television? Forget it — conversational foreign languages are spoken at a pace intended for native or fluent speakers to understand — not the kid in Spanish 101. And nevermind the boatload of words they’d never hear in class.
LanguageTwin seeks to offer something that the classroom usually doesn’t: peer-to-peer conversation with native speakers in the language that a student is trying to learn.
The brainchild of Michael Lucia, who thought of the idea after a semester abroad in France, LanguageTwin works differently from turning on Telemundo and hoping to understand something other than “Cómo estás.” LanguageTwin pairs up a student with a “twin” from the country, or countries, that speak the language they are studying in school and allows the two to set schedules to see when they are both free so that they can meet and engage in conversation. Their partner will be someone who is studying English in their home country.
Of course, a common problem among study groups in any course is that a student could neglect to show due to timezones or any other reasons. Seeing that this could hurt the other student, they’re allowed to seek out a new “twin” every time they sign on.
LanguageTwin is not available for anyone to use, only people enrolled in a participating university. Participating universities include those in the United States, as well as ones located in Spain, Mexico, Panama, Chile, Colombia, Boliva, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. Currently, the program is only focused on Spanish and English, but more languages are in development — including French, German, and Mandarin Chinese.
Since LanguageTwin is geared toward the classroom, it also provides components for the teachers who use it. Because all conversations are recorded, teachers can to go back and review them so that they can point out mistakes or areas that need improvement. They can also set a minimum amount of time per week for the students to use the program – forcing them to get their feet wet, and to gain that valuable interpersonal communication that is desperately needed when it comes to learning a second language. Students are also provided with a text-based chat component, icebreaker questions and a translating tool, to make socializing in another language less painful.
Obviously, LanguageTwin is not a perfect replacement for total immersion, and there will always be students who simply can not learn or language, or those who try to squeak by without doing anything. But it’s a little more real than a classroom setting. LanguageTwin puts the students with a native speaker who is learning Engish, giving both students that face-to-face access which can make learning a language more human.
Elaine Rita Mendus is a undergraduate student working on graduating college (someday soon). Her career interests include geopolitics, the Hispanic community, and urban planning. She really wouldn't mind ending up a scriptwriter though...
