HelloTalk: A New Way of Language Exchange
is a language app that I’ve personally found really helpful in the language learning process. As someone who’s studying Japanese (and majoring in it) it can be a little hard to find people nearby to converse with. While CU offers many opportunities for language exchange with other students (including foreign exchange students), those can sometimes be hard to get to depending on the scheduling. While classes are great and offer practice, out of class practice is also an important part of learning any language. HelloTalk helps with exactly that.
A sample conversation from one of my partners and I.
As said before, the premise of HelloTalk is that of a language exchange app. It’s main purpose is to connect you with people all over the world who’re either proficient or native speakers of the language you’re trying to learn, who’re in turn trying to learn the language you’re proficient in (in my case, this would be Japanese and English, respectively). Who you can contact and who can contact you is also customizable; you can set the search function to limit by age, gender, location, and even proficiency. This is especially helpful if you’re looking for a partner who’s around the same age as you—that way you can feel more of like you’re talking with peers. Some more features of HelloTalk include voice messaging, translation, transliteration (especially helpful with languages that aren’t Romanized—it’s really come in handy for kanji I don’t know), and there’s even a feature for voice calling. What’s more, is that you can mark conversations or grammar points that get brought up for later studying. You can even send photos. It’s all the convenience of a messaging app plus the advantages of practicing another language at the same time.
The app is available for both iOS and Android, and is free aside from some minor things like unlimited translations/transliterations (which can be easily remedied by looking at other translation options online). Premium membership is around one dollar per month, but I’ve been able to get by without having to upgrade. Another really great function of HelloTalk is the ability to correct grammar easily—either you or your partner can correct each other, and it’s a simple process of just rewriting the correct way to say something.
Personally, I’ve had a great experience with HelloTalk. While I haven’t used it too much recently, it’s great practice outside of classes if you’re learning another language. Not only can you practice your target language, but you can also make friends with native speakers and learn about their culture as well. I’ve had a few people I’ve met on the app become good friends, and a friend of mine has even skyped with a couple of people she’s met with on the app. It’s a great way to practice, learn, and meet people that you might otherwise have a hard time meeting.
another helpful article on the pros and cons of HelloTalk, and below are some more screenshots of the app.
Another sample conversation.
The grammar correction feature.