Has anyone used any language exchange apps? What are your thoughts, are they beneficial?
I am interested in possibly downloading one, but am not really sure which one to go with. There are a few things currently holding me back. 1. I’m specifically wanting to learn Taiwanese Mandarin and it seems like most apps show simplified Chinese Mandarin, but I don’t see anything about Taiwanese Mandarin. 2. I’m actually very introverted and shy so meeting and talking to strangers online is very intimidating to me. (for this reason, I think I would want something that would allow me to text and audio message first and then once I’m comfortable, maybe advance to video chat) 3. There seem to be a lot of options, but I’m not sure which one would be best and don’t know anyone who has used a language exchange app to give their recommendations.
Personally I’ve used HelloTalk in the past and thought it was really good, Im sure they have an option for finding traditional mandarin speakers! When you get the confidence, definitely try out OmeTV for video practice :))
I’m not a big user of language exchange apps, but there’s an in depth review of Hello Talk here that you might find helpful
If you go looking for Chinese language exchange partners elsewhere, I’ve heard one of the most important things is to establish ground rules early on (e.g. English X amount of time, Chinese X amount of time), so you maintain an equal split
Starting in the weaker language also helps, as you can cover the easier topics first (e.g. self introductions, how was your day, what are your plans for the weekend, etc). Then if your language partner has more advanced English than your Chinese, you can save the more difficult topics for later on in the conversation
I haven’t tried any online Language Exchange apps to be honest but I would recommend Clubhouse as it has groups of people who practice language in an exchange-ish format.
