Language exchanges are a great way to develop your target language fluency, learn new vocabulary, learn about the culture associated with the language, build your confidence and even save money.
Like all partnerships - you have to work well with your language exchange partner.
There are a few basic criteria which can determine whether the language exchange partnership will give both partners an opportunity to learn and advance your language skills and abilities.
The first criteria is giving equal time to each of the two languages.
The second criteria is what type of language use is your goal. If you are both in business and want to use the other language for business - wonderful you can really help each other.
Are you both structured, organized and prepared or just free talking? - both you and your partner have to be able to operate at the same work level. A partnership where one is always well prepared and the other just shows up is doomed to fail. Success occurs when both are either free talking or both prepared.
Are both language exchange partners able to remain positive and supportive through a difficult and complicated process. Remember that beginners start speaking with 100% mistakes. It takes a lot of explanation, demonstration and practice to be able to speak the target language with fewer and fewer mistakes.
