Being a language supporter

In this PDF file you will find suggestions on what to consider in order to become a good language supporter. The suggestions are primarily aimed at language cafe coordinators, but could be useful in a language tandem context, too.
Suggestions to coordinators for a successful language cafe (222 Kb)

Gesturing, imitating, pointing

Use gestures, imitate sounds, and point to objects in your surroundings to facilitate communication (Språktidningen, 2016). Try to keep to the language you are pracitcing as far as possible: Instead of changing language when you can't find a word, try rephrasing or using gestures instead.

Enjoy the silence!

Silences and pauses are useful, both for the second language (L2) learner and the first language (L1) speaker. The L2 learner neds pauses to digest what has been said and to fomulate a response. Don't be afraid of the silence, but instead give the L2 learner time to think and find the correct phrasing. Silence and pauses will even benefit the L1 speaker, who gets the chance to reflect on what has been said, thereby enabling a greater sensitivity towards the communicative needs of the L2 learner (Språktidningen, 2016).

Flawless feedback

How and when should you correct your tandem partner's or language cafe participant's language? Preferrably, when he or she can learn from it, for example when:

• they ask to be corrected
• you can't understand what they are saying
• they are looking for a specific word
• they make the same mistake repeatedly

There are many different ways to correct and support your tandem partner or language cafe participant. For example, you could:

• ask direct questions in order to better understand something that was unclear
• repeat an incorrect sentence in the correct way, without explicitly pointing out the mistake
• write down your partner's language mistakes and discuss them at the end of your session

Try correcting each other in different ways and discuss the pros and cons of the different methods together with you tandem partner or cafe participants (UZH - Sprachenzentrum der Universität und der ETH Zürich, 2017).

Take the initiative

Be an active participant in your meetings and try initiating different conversation topics and activities:

• Be sensitive to your partner's needs and ask what they would like to discuss or do at the meeting.
• Ask questions! Your partner might find it difficult to formulate topics themselves, and might need questions to get started.
• Suggest an activity or a game. A list of activities and exercises can be found further down this page.

General suggestions

• Ask your tandem partner or language coordinator to repeat or explain if you couldn't quite catch what they said
• Repeat new words and phrases out loud, as this will make them easier to remember
• Write down new words, phrases, and expressions
• Let your tandem partner or language coordinator correct you
• Don't be afraid to make mistakes

(Jonsson, 2003)

Write a tandem diary

Write a dairy journaling your tandem language exchange. In your dairy, make sure to formulate your needs, goals, activities, progress and reflections. For inspiration, see Jonsson, 2003, ss. 79-86.

List of conversation topics

Sometimes you might find it difficult to find something to talk about with your tandem partner or at your language cafe. In this PDF file, you will find a list of conversation topics to use any time you run out of ideas.
Language cafe conversation topic list (243 Kb)

Useful exercises

To increase cultural understanding:

• Combine your tandem session with a visit to a cafe or restaurant, and talk about differences and similarities in your respective food cultures
• Go to the cinema or theater together in one of your languages
• Play a game like Scrabble or Monopoly together. Playing a game can effectively increase your cultural understanding while simultanously proving the opportunity to practise talking, listening, reading, and/or writing.
  (Jonsson, 2003: 46)

To develop vocabulary and increase reading comprehension:

• Read newspapers in your target language and discuss the articles with your tandem partner
• Read horoscopes in your target language and compare yours with your tandem partner's
• Solve crossword puzzles together or create your own. Crossword puzzles in different languages can be found online
  (Jonsson, 2003: 47)

To practise listening comprehension and oral language proficiency:

• Watch films or videos and discuss them with your tandem partner in the target language
• Talk on the phone with your tandem partner! Talking in the phone is different than talking face-to-face, and a tandem exchenge is perfect for practising this skill. Call each other using your smartphones or any online messaging service. SU students can use Zoom for free for calls with or without video
• Practise sport together. Play tennis, badminton, or visit the gym, and explore sport-related vocabulary by talking about your activity during or after your training session
  (Jonsson, 2003: 48-49)

We have a number of different resources availiable for your use at Språkstudion. As a language cafe coordinator, you are free to borrow the following for your cafe:

• iPads
• Films
• Games
• Books
• VR glasses
• Dictionaries
• Newspapers
• Paper and pencils

If you think there is something we should add, for example a game or a magazine in your language, please e-mail your suggestion to info@sprakstudion.su.se.

Språktidningen. 2016. Småprat kan hjälpa någon att lära sig svenska. Accessed 2017-01-04 på http://spraktidningen.se/artiklar/2016/05/smaprat-kan-hjalpa-nagon-att-lara-sig-svenska

UZH - Sprachenzentrum der Universität und der ETH Zürich. 2017. Tandem-learning. Accessed 2017-01-04 på https://www.sprachenzentrum.uzh.ch/en/tandem.html

Jonsson, B. 2003. Självstyrd språkinlärning i tandem. En handbok. S. 111-122. Rapport nr 13, 2003. Institutionen för humaniora i Härnösand.