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Faculty & Staff
Language Tandem for Staff
Matching season has started: Look for a partner now!
Welcome to Unite! language tandems for faculty and staff!
On the Unite! Language Tandem Platform for staff, you can find and
connect with a language tandem partner to improve your target language skills,
and connect with colleagues who want to learn about your language and
culture.
If you are a student, please use the Unite! Language Tandem for students to find a tandem partner here.
Create your profile
Click on the button "Language Tandem Opportunities". On this page you create your profile.
To get started, simply create your profile by clicking the “Create your profile” button and complete the provided form.
Find a tandem partner
Finding your language tandem partner is in your hands. Visit the Language Tandem website and search for a partner who speaks your target language using the search filters. Browse the profiles and contact them by clicking on the “Contact” button and filling in the contact form.
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Confirm your tandem
Decide with your tandem partner on meeting times. Once your tandem is arranged, we would appreciate it if you would click the “I found a match” button to let us know about the growing community of language learners. If you don’t want to receive any further requests, you can set your profile to "Inactive" in your profile settings.
Join the experience!
Engaging in a language tandem allows you to practice and improve your language skills with a partner who is a native or near-native speaker. Beyond language development, you can get valuable insights into each other’s cultures .
Language Tandem: Best practices
Guidelines and objectives
Agree on the frequency and duration of meetings, and the overall duration of the tandem experience.
Clearly define your goals, whether it is improving fluency, expanding vocabulary, learning about another country and culture or enhancing communication skills.
Topics to talk about
Discuss topics of mutual interest to keep conversations engaging. Find tandem
resources including conversation starters and vocabulary here:
Tandem Learning Materials in 13 Languages (seagull-tandem.eu)
Time
Aim to meet regularly, at least once a week. The duration of your tandem partnership can be flexible, ranging from one month to several weeks. Establish ground rules for meetings and stick to them.
Feedback and assessment
Decide together how you want to handle feedback. Avoid
constant corrections that may disrupt the flow of conversation. Provide
feedback in a supportive manner.
Discuss your tandem and adjust your approach if necessary. Open communication helps both partners stay aligned with their goals.
Practice languages separately
Dedicate equal time to each language during your meetings. This ensures balanced language development.
Notify
Respect your partner’s time by notifying them if you need to delay or cancel a meeting. Consistent and reliable communication is essential.
Keep it fun!
Make the tandem experience enjoyable by incorporating discussions on everyday life, subjects that you are both interested in and that engage you. The more enjoyable the experience, the more motivated both partners will be.
Roles
As a tandem partner, you have multiple roles as both learner, model and supportive partner. In order to maintain a balanced approach, it is important to respect the different learning paces and methodologies of each participant. To ensure a harmonious and effective partnership, it is important to agree on correction preferences and reach a consensus.