The Harvard Language Exchange Program
One of my longtime passions is learning foreign languages. For language learners, retaining a foreign language can often be challenging without practice. That’s way I was thrilled when Harvard introduced the Language Exchange Program, a platform where users can type in languages we speak and the fluency level for each one, and have access to information about other users’ language skills.
When I took French classes at Harvard, I was happy to go to the Science Center’s language tutoring programs on a regular basis for one-on-one sessions. However, that program was more based on specific questions I had about the target language. With the Harvard Language Exchange Program, I have kept in touch with native Japanese speakers looking to practice English and have also practiced with French, Spanish, and Mandarin speakers and learners.
A really cool aspect of the program is also the fact that users are not only current Harvard students from across the College and the various graduate programs, but also some MIT students, Harvard alumni, staff members, and visiting scholars. The system allows users to select potential language buddies and send them requests, and if they also say yes, then you’re matched. It’s like a matchmaking site, but for languages/language nerds. I have always felt that the specific Harvard school one attends can be a bit of a bubble, and was happy to branch out more, including in the virtual COVID-19 setting. Three of my Japanese practice buddies are native Japanese speakers who are visiting scholars specializing in political science.
It is always fascinating to not only chat about more mundane aspects of life, but also more specifically about my language exchange partners’ politics-related research and get to know more about what’s it like to be a visiting scholar and what it’s like to be a professor in Japan. In turn, they often ask me about life as a law student, judicial law clerk, and now, practicing attorney. It’s refreshing to be able to exchange information not only on various cultural, historical, and literary contexts, but also professional ones. This supplements the beginning and intermediate levels of language classes well, as real-life practice sessions cater to our individual interests and pursuits and are less about the textbook subjects that could seem sometimes a bit forced or disengaging.
I have happily kept in touch with most of my language practice buddies after my graduation from Harvard as well, including with a recent graduate of HKS who is working for the Japanese government. Apart from our scheduled language practice sessions, we sometimes text every now and then to talk about what’s going on in the world.
Most people I have met through the language exchange program are very passionate about improving their language skills and are quite proactive about scheduling routine sessions with me. During especially busy periods, they are also quite understanding and accommodating.
Because how spontaneous those conversations can be and how diverse the subject matters can be, there are plenty of opportunities to expand on one’s vocabulary and truly learn from each other. It also helps that Zoom’s chat function enables the native speaker to type out specific words and share book/TV/film titles, etc. During the process, we tend to chat about each other’s cultural backgrounds and traditions, and it’s always interesting to get different perspectives.
All in all, I would highly recommend the Language Exchange Program (or similar programs) to everyone who enjoys learning and improving foreign language skills and wants to make some more friends in the process! Even if you are forced to take a language class to fulfill school or work requirements, you might end up having some fun while potentially helping someone out with your own existing language skills.
