Conversation program mutually benefits language students

Imagine talking to someone from Tokyo, or Shanghai, and having him teach you his… Imagine talking to someone from Tokyo, or Shanghai, and having him teach you his language.

And then doing the same for him.

For more than 200 students at Pitt, this happens at least once a week. Pitt’s English Language Institute offers a conversation partner program for students, giving foreign language students — as well as average Pitt students — the chance to regularly meet with native speakers from around the globe.

Megan Stehle, the program’s coordinator, said that the program allows students to learn in ways that a classroom experience cannot reproduce.

“The program is a great opportunity to learn more about different cultures and languages,” Stehle said. “You get to hear the language you wish to learn spoken by the native speaker. It is not slowed down or artificially produced.”

Those who do not study a foreign language can still join the program.

Junior Margo Lynch said that she only spoke English with her partner from South Korea, but that he did teach her a word here and there.

Lynch has had three conversation partners through the ELI — from Libya, South Korea and France.

“If you want to practice their language you can, but a lot of time it’s fun and, not to mention, really useful for them to speak in English for a large chunk of time,” Lynch said.

The international students involved come from all over the globe. They are enrolled in the academic English program, so most of them are at Pitt for about two semesters, Stehle said.

ELI is part of Pitt’s Department of Linguistics. The institute is open to international students admitted to Pitt who wish to work on their language skills. Students must have intermediate skill in English to be a part of the program, Rob Mucklo — Marketing and Activities Coordinator for ELI — said in an interview last Thursday.

While the conversation program helps international students develop better language skills, it’s not just about learning English, it’s about experiencing American culture, Mucklo said.

“We try to let [international students] make American friends. They love sharing their culture,” Mucklo said.

He said that the program is about mutual respect and exchange between students.

There are 114 international students currently enrolled in the conversation program and 95 English-speaking Pitt students.

Japanese and Spanish are the languages most common studied by English-speaking participants, and the majority of students who are learning English originally speak Arabic, Chinese or Korean.

The ELI encourages partners to talk at least one hour every week, Stehle said. The partners coordinate the time frame and the location of their weekly meetings.

The program can help those who want to study abroad, too.

“Listeners get to hear more idioms and get a sense of the culture of the country,” Stehle said.

Spanish professor Chiara Nardone acknowledged that not all students have the resources to travel to a different country to improve their speaking abilities.

“Students should definitely get a conversation partner if they have the chance. The partner provides some sort of native contact with the language if they haven’t gone to do study abroad,” Nardone said.

The program has upsides beyond improving speaking ability. Lynch said that besides being able to practice her skills with a native speaker, she can make international friends through the conversation partner program.

“You basically spend an hour or more a week hanging out, drinking coffee and chatting,” she said. “By the end of it, you usually form a connection with the other person. I still keep in contact with my partners even though some are no longer in Pittsburgh.”