Conversation exchange apps - advantages and disadvantages

 Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash

What are conversation exchange apps?

Conversation exchange (also called language exchange) applications allow you to communicate with other people who're also learning languages. There are several of these, which I imagine will all have slightly different features, so I'm just going to talk about the main one that I use: HelloTalk.

It is free to download; however there is a version that you can pay for which gives you access to a few more resources on the app. You'll make yourself a profile where you can include photos and information about yourself, such as your hobbies, the languages you speak, and the languages you want to learn. You'll then be able to search for people who speak the language that you want to learn and who want to learn the language you speak. For example, if you speak Portuguese and want to learn Dutch, you'll be able to find people who speak Dutch and want to learn Portuguese. It then allows you to begin communicating with them, and the two people involved decide how they would like to proceed. There is the option to write messages to each other, send audios, and arrange voice calls. It really is the complete decision of the two people involved.

Based on my experience using HelloTalk, I'll highlight what I believe are some advantages and disadvantages of using this conversation exchange app.

Advantages:

Free – I already mentioned that there's the option to pay for an advanced version; however, you can freely download the regular version. This still allows you to create a profile and interact with people from around the world.

User-friendly – I personally found it to be quite easy to use. You have clear tabs where you find your messages, the database of people to connect with, your own profile etc. When you're in a conversation, there are a few additional buttons you can use throughout to help you both. At first, this can seem quite confusing, but it really isn’t when you just read what is in front of you. Once you get the hang of it, it is absolutely fine.

Allows you to practice your target language – the obvious reason people download apps like these is to practice their languages. It is a common misconception that you can’t learn a language if you don’t live in the country where it is spoken. People often say this is because there isn't anyone to practice with, and these apps are the first step to solving that problem!

You can communicate with a lot of people – I personally found that there are a huge number of people on the app who are happy to talk with you. This won't be the same for everybody, as the languages you choose can be a factor as well as your profile. For example, you're unlikely to get many messages if your profile doesn’t appear to show a real person (i.e. no photos, no interesting information). However, if you make your profile genuine, you'll get more interest. As a result, you'll end up talking to a lot of people and potentially forming new friendships. A lot of these conversations eventually stop due to people losing interest or perhaps not using the app; however, after one and a half years of using it, I still speak to people that I met right at the very start. You'll get to know about different cultures and ways of life, and it can expand your own mind through discussions about a variety of topics. I spoke with one person who really motivated me to start learning French as well when I had a lot of fears and doubts, and another person who suggested a series to me (How to Get Away with Murder) which is now possibly my all-time favourite. You never know how much a conversation there will change your life for the better.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Gives you the option to correct and be corrected – one of the very useful features is that when you receive a message, it gives you the option to correct it if there are errors. For example, if someone were to message me with an error, I'd be able to correct it, and these corrections would appear on the other person’s screen as well. They'll be able to see what they have done wrong and remember it for the future. Just a heads-up with correcting errors: some people may like it more than others, so it’s important to clarify with the person what they would like in terms of error correction. Correcting errors is important, but sometimes it can slow the conversation down, frustrate the person making the errors, and make them feel bad. No one speaks perfectly; even natives make mistakes in their own language. I am sure you'll find plenty of mistakes in my blog posts! My general approach is to correct the big mistakes and leave the small ones. For example, if someone were to message me, Today I am going to go to the shops because I want to buy some clothe. In this example, the person hasn’t put the letter “s” to create the word clothes. If the person wants me to correct every single error, then of course I'll correct it. However, if the conversation is flowing, then I'll generally not bother with these little mistakes because this could have just been a typo. If there's an error that suggests a clear misunderstanding of English, then I'll correct it. For example, a mistake I see a lot is the use of the verb “have” to talk about age. I use the app to talk to Spanish, French, and Italian speakers (all of these languages use their equivalent of the verb have for their age), so they've obviously translated it literally. Tengo 27 años in Spanish literally translates to I have 27 years, which is the structure they use, whereas in English, we use the verb to be. For example, I am 27 years old, you are 35 years old, he is 51 years old etc. They try to translate it literally and end up saying I have 27 years or I have 27 years old. This is a clear misunderstanding of the language, so I'll always correct something like this. The other person will then be able to learn from this and remember it for the future.

Disadvantages:

Finding the perfect language partner can be hard – in today’s world, language learning is not the priority of most people. They may download the app and use it sparingly, which means replies in conversations can take hours or even days (I've been guilty of this too). This is perfectly natural, and you can’t be annoyed at them because there is no rule that they have to message you constantly. However, it can be frustrating. You'll also want the person to be nice and patient with you, as you're going to make mistakes and you want them to be helpful and understanding. I had one person before who told me that I make loads of errors, and this just made me feel bad. It demotivated me, and I didn’t want to speak to this person anymore.

Some people aren’t there to practice languages – just like any other app where you make a profile to talk to people, you always run the risk of finding quite unpleasant people for more than one reason. I spoke to one person who was obviously there just to insult me (I imagine she was also insulting lots of other people). One of my friends I met there that I still speak to has informed me of the number of messages of a sexual nature she receives as well. The app is designed to practice languages with people around the world, and unfortunately, there seem to be quite a lot of people (usually men) who think it is appropriate to send these types of messages. Fortunately, there are options to block and report these people. However, they're still not very nice to receive.

Summary:

Overall, I honestly think HelloTalk is an excellent application to learn languages. I've used it for over one and a half years now, spoken to a lot of interesting people, made some friends for life, and also practiced my languages an incredible amount. Some people may be put off by the disadvantages that I've mentioned, which is fair enough. But I believe this isn’t specific to HelloTalk and instead seems to happen on most apps nowadays, unfortunately. If you encounter any unpleasant people, you have the option to block and report them straight away, and then you can continue with your journey of practicing your languages.


 Key vocabulary:

Proceed – go ahead with something

Get the hang of it - to understand how something works

Misconception – a view or opinion that is incorrect

Heads-up – a warning

Typo – an error you make by accident when you type something. For example, if I type “fihs” instead of “fish”. This is a typo because I know how to spell the word “fish”, but maybe I was typing too quickly and I accidentally typed “fihs”

Sparingly – in small amounts

 






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