The Fluency Connection The 4 Best Language Exchange Apps

The Fluency Connection The 4 Best Language Exchange Apps The Fluency Connection: The 4 Best Language Exchange Apps So, you want to learn a new languageand you want it bad.Let me tell you something  that will utterly blow your mind:You are not alone.Thats right! Believe it or not, there are others out there who want to learn a language just as badly as you and some of them want to learn your native tongue.Out of these eager learners, theres somebody who, in turn, is also a native speaker of the language you have your eye on. They might even be at around the same language level as you, whatever that may be.Thats what we call a win-win situation.And its the basic premise of language exchange apps. How Does Language Exchange Work?Are you an English speaker who wants to learn Korean (or Japanese, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, etc.)? Then youre in luck. There are thousands of native-speaking Koreans who really want to learn English! A Korean English-learner can teach you his Korean, and in return, you can make him wade through the English thicket. You can trade each others native tongues. This is called language exchange.A language exchange is different from getting an online language tutor. In a tutoring relationship, its clear whos the teacher and whos the student. One teaches the other, and learning is pretty much one way. In a language exchange, two people teach and learn, in turn.Language exchange websites like Conversation Exchange and My Language Exchange have been put up for the very purpose of pairing learners with the native speakers of their target language. You type in the language/s you know, and then the language you want to learn, hit Enter, and your search results will yield loads of people you can pair with. You then reach out to your potential buddy via text chat or email and agree on a specific time to meet up on Skype.You and your buddy can tailor your sessions however you want. It can be a freewheeling discussion where you talk about whatever comes to mind, or you can see if the two of you can get the hang of a more structured interaction. (For example, the first 15 minutes could be you teaching, and then you could switch roles.)This may all sound very intimidating. but in addition to using the apps below, learning with FluentU  can help you feel more confident and inspired in your language exchanges, as it gives you access to cultural references and helps you warm up your listening skills with native speaker audio. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, news, music videos and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons.You can talk about anything, and before long, you might have a true friend truly invested in your learning.No money is exchanged, just language lessons.What Are Language Exchange Apps?With language exchange apps for smartphones, the whole process becomes mobile, kicking the experience up a notch. Now, you dont need to stay in your room and hog the laptop camera. You can go outdoors and learn on the go. You can give your buddy a more immersive experience, for example, by point ing your phone to street and store signs and using them to help him understand something. You could even show him how life is in your neighborhood.Language exchange is an important element of your language learning experience, and language exchange apps just make the whole process more convenient. Theres nothing like talking to a native speaker right on your phone and taking notes from someone whos a linguistic insider. Yes, using music, games  and videos  can have pretty profound effects on your learning curve, too, but dont you dare miss out on the awesome benefits of language exchange apps.They have advantages that other learning resources simply dont have. For example, you can get instant feedback. Your partner can listen and check if youre pronouncing words right. If you have questions on the nuances of the language, you can simply ask the person on the other end of the video chat and get an immediate answer, as opposed to waiting for somebody to type in an answer to your query on a language forum.Language exchange apps get you to both practice and sample the language, in a setting where its A-okay to bungle the words or use the wrong verb form. Nobodys grading you, and the person on the other end of the line knows exactly what youre going through because theyre basically in the same boat.That said, lets now look at some of the best language exchange apps that you can add to your learning arsenal. Theyre all free and available for both Android and iOS.The Fluency Connection: The 4 Best Language Exchange AppsHelloTalkLike I said before, no need to fire up Skype just to interact with your partner/s. HelloTalk is a standalone app that can do so much more than just connect you with someone who speaks your target language.Its loaded with features that save users from the awkwardness of not being able to express themselves enough to be understood. Consider the basic conundrum of language exchange: She wants to learn English, you want to learn Chinese. How do yo u actually interact with her or explain things when the very language youll be using is her target language? She understands Chinese alright, but if you only speak Chinese, shes not going to learn English.Enter HelloTalk. The app has Translation, Transliteration, Voice-to-Text and Text-to-Voice features.Your Chinese friend can simply speak in her native tongue. As you receive the voice message, you can use the Voice-to-Text feature to see a written form of what was said. Cool, huh? Still dont understand the message? Use the Translation feature and see the message interpreted in your own language.HelloTalk interactions are a bit slower, which is really a good thing since nobodys put on the spot and expected to be suddenly fluent in the target language. Youre not straining so much. The back-and-forth of messages takes a little more time because both parties are processing the communication. And this is when learning truly takes place.When language is learned in the context of a friend ly conversation, and augmented with HelloTalk’s awesome features, learners get more insight from the whole interaction.BilinguaBilingua is a language exchange app that goes beyond partnering you with a complementary native speaker. It wants to ensure a fun, easy and educational interaction for its users. And this is reflected in the features that the app carries.It has a smart chat feature, which gives you suggestions on what to talk about, so you never run out of topics during the exchange. It even recommends specific phrases you could use.Best of all, to ensure that you find somebody who shares your hobbies, interests and personality, when you first start using the app, youre taken through a series of personal questions. Your answers help its algorithm pair you up with somebody similar, ensuring a more productive language exchange experience.And all this happens under the watchful eye of Shiro, Bilinguas adorable mascot.HiNativeWouldnt it be nice to have a native speaker answer all those nagging questions that inevitably come up when youre trying to learn a new language? And wouldnt it even be better if you didnt have just have one but a whole truckload of native speakers waiting to help you, and none of them got testy even after your 48th question?HiNative is a QA platform that specializes in getting your questions answered by the most competent speakers of your target language. Its interface is really easy to navigate, and the button youre going to be using the most is the Ask button.HiNative really makes it easy for you to get your question out by providing categories/templates like, How do you say this? and Does this sound natural? (This one gives you an audio-record function where you let native speakers hear you pronounce a specific word or phrase and give you feedback on whether you sound natural or not.)Theres also a category called Ask Something Else, which is a catch-all for those questions that dont belong in the others. This is usually where cu ltural queries and opinion questions find room.And because this is a language exchange, you can and should help out others by taking the time to answer some of their questions. It wont take much effort, and it will really help out other members of the language learning community.TandemWith Tandem, you can text, talk or video chat with someone on the other side of the world.The app has prominent social-networking functions, and you can Follow people as well as check out those who follow you. You can also write reviews about users you interacted with and can send good vibes their way. (This is like you telling other users, She’s cool.) You can also filter the people who can see your profile and choose them by characteristics like gender or age.Youre not limited to just one picture but can upload as many as six. Punch up your profile and encourage interaction by writing about the topics you want to hear others talk about. For example, you might say, I think hot dogs are Gods gift to humanity. What do you think?”Remember, theres Tinder and then theres Tandem. One is for dating, and the other is for language learning. Before youre accepted into the Tandem community, youre reminded that the app should only be used for language learning, not flirting. (So if somebody rubs you the wrong way, theres a Block function conveniently provided by the apps developers.)In addition to all those cool features, the app has a Tutor tab, where you can find vetted tutors of the language you want. Or, if you want to earn on the side, you can fill out a profile to become a language tutor.These are four of the very best language exchange apps out there.Theyre so advanced that they have features that may seem a little bit Star Trek-y.But theyll be worth nothing unless you hit that Send, Call or Ask button.Dont wait for someone else to make the first move.Make it yourself and gain a new friend in the process.And One More ThingIf you want to be up-to-date on all the latest language le arning tech, youve got to check out FluentU.FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website with your compu ter or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the iTunes store  or Google Play store.