Effective Language Exchange

Speaking—unlike listening, reading, and writing—is hard to practice without a partner. An effective and enjoyable way to improve your conversational listening and speaking skills is language exchange—meeting up with an English learner and taking turns to converse in Japanese and English. Since starting to learn Japanese 15 years ago, I’ve done language exchange many times in both Japan and Australia.

Language exchange has many advantages: it’s free and fun, it’s mutually beneficial, and it’s a fantastic way to get to know Japanese people and culture. It can even provide a natural and non-threatening environment for sharing God’s love. Language exchange partners are often curious about people of other faiths and feel much freer to discuss religion in a one-on-one context than with a group. These days, communication tools like Skype make it possible to do language exchange even if there are no Japanese people living near you, so you can maintain or even improve your Japanese while on home assignment. The main downside of language exchange is that you have to spend half the time speaking English.

The first thing to consider is whether language exchange is the most effective way for you to practice conversation. It’s probably best suited for intermediate learners. Beginners will find it hard to sustain a conversation. On the other hand advanced learners are better off finding ways to spend all their time speaking in Japanese (for example, joining a club or spending time with Japanese friends who can’t speak English).

Things to look for in a partner

While language exchange can occur in small groups, one-to-one is best for maximizing speaking time. If you find yourself in a group with equal numbers of Japanese and English speakers, it’s best to pair off.

A good language exchange partner is worth their weight in gold—when you’ve found one, be sure never to let them go! Ideally, a language partner should be roughly the same level as you. This is because there’s a strong tendency to default to the easiest mode of communication. If their English is better than your Japanese, then it’s easy to slip into English when you’re finding it hard to express yourself in Japanese, and vice versa. In that sense, language exchange can resemble arm wrestling, so it’s best to find an evenly- matched sparring partner!

Another important quality to look for in potential exchange partners is the ability to speak clearly in Japanese. If they tend to mumble or speak quickly or have a strong regional dialect (be wary of people from Aomori or southern Kyushu, unless you live there), then you might find yourself struggling to understand what they’re saying, especially if you’re just starting out. Japanese people who have lived overseas or have foreign friends are generally the best, as they’ve often developed the ability to adjust their speaking level to the comprehension ability of the person they’re conversing with.

Other qualities to consider when looking for a partner are a knowledge of Japanese grammar, mutual interests, and lots of patience. If you find a partner with experience teaching Japanese, you’ve struck gold.

How to get the most from language exchange

I find it’s best to split each session into two halves of equal length: one in English and the other in Japanese. In theory, if both partners spoke in their target languages, you could spend the entire session speaking Japanese (and listening in English). But I find this very difficult in practice because my brain has to constantly switch between the two languages and it’s hard to suppress the natural tendency to respond in the language that I’m addressed in.

As much as possible, both people should converse entirely in the language assigned to the half—even slipping in the occasional word in the other language should be studiously avoided. If you’re having trouble communicating your thoughts, try expressing them in a different way. If you don’t know or have forgotten a key word, try using an alternative word or describing the concept. Be imaginative. A Japanese teacher once told me that a student who had forgotten the word for omikoshi (portable shrine) described it as a keitai jinja (a temple that you can carry around like a mobile phone)! Expressing challenging concepts will improve your communication ability in the same way that pushing yourself physically builds your muscles.

The first language exchange is always the easiest as it mainly consists of self-introductions and asking straightforward questions. For subsequent exchanges, it can be helpful to pick a topic beforehand. This will give you a chance to review useful vocabulary and provides a starting point for the conversation; it doesn’t matter if the conversation subsequently strays from the topic.

One useful technique that I picked up from my days as an English teacher is to give correction without interrupting the flow of conversation. At the start, agree to jot down a few mistakes you each make during your conversation. Then, in the last few minutes of the session, discuss what was said, what was wrong with it, and what you should have said. That way, you can improve both accuracy and fluency.

Above all, have fun! There’s nothing quite so stimulating as breaking free from the confines of the classroom and communicating directly with a native speaker. And in the process, you can learn many things about Japanese culture that you’ll never find in a textbook.