Tandem – the interncultural language partnership
- Are you learning a foreign language and do you want to improve your language skills?
- Are you looking for an opportunity to use your language skills in a real life situation?
- Do you want to practice your foreign language with a native speaker and to teach somebody your native language?
- Are you curious about new cultures and different countries?
- Do you have a language proficiency level (of at least B1)?
With our language tandem program you can practice English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hindi, Persian, Turkish, Korean, Chinese and many more languages together with a native speaker, and gain first-hand insight into a foreign culture. In exchange, you will give your tandem partner an understanding of your native language in individual and flexible meetings. This will improve your foreign language skills and enhance your intercultural skills. You will meet new friends from all over the world. A tandem partnership is completely free and fun!
The only requirement to be part of the language tandem program is to prove a language proficiency level in your target language (at least B1 – Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
We are looking forward to your participation!!
FAQs – Language tandems
Who can take part in a language tandem?
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Anyone and everyone with some experience in an additional language who wishes to improve their skills and help others do the same in their native language. This programme is aimed at all students in Hamburg.
How does a language tandem work?
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The tandem partners meet up regularly and document their meetings in a tandem diary. The partners decide in what order and for how long they speak each language. We recommend that half of the meeting time be used to speak in one language and the second half to talk in the other. Topics you might choose to discuss could be your home countries, cultural differences, or matters and events from daily life. In this way, all involved improve their skills in additional languages and gain valuable intercultural experience. You learn together, from and with one another.
How can I register?
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You can register using our online registration form, which is activated on this page for a set amount of time at the beginning of each semester.
How long is my registration valid for?
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Your registration for the programme is valid for one semester. This ensures that we can keep our tandem database as up to date as possible. You will need to re-register each semester.
How do I demonstrate my skill level?
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We currently do not require people to provide offical proof of their skill level in order to participate in the programme. Please be realistic in assessing your skills so that you and your tandem partner each gain something from the tandem partnership.
Do I have to list German as the target language if German is not my native language?
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You do not have to, but we recommend it because in most language tandems German is either the native language or the target language. The best idea is to list German as one of your two target languages in order to increase your chances of finding a match.
Which languages are in particularly high demand?
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1. Your first language is German and you are interested in learning one of the following languages (ideally you already have basic skills in this language):
- Arabic
- Chinese
- Farsi
- Indonesian
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
2. You want to improve your German and your first language is one of the following:
- Bosnian
- Danish
- English
- French
- Italian
- Korean
- Croatian
- Dutch
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Serbian
- Spanish
If you belong to one of these groups, please send us a mail and let us know what your first language is, what language you want to learn and what level your skills in the target language are.
How long will it take for a language partner to be assigned to me?
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This is a matter of supply and demand. We will do our best to find a tandem partner for you within a few weeks.
What should I do if my language partner cancels our meetings without rescheduling or does not reply to my messages?
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If your partner does not respond to your attempts to contact them, please try one more time. If you don’t get a reply within a week, please email us at sprachtandems(@)haw-hamburg.de.
Can I have more than one language-tandem partner?
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It is possible to have more than one language-tandem partner, as long as all those interested in participating have already been matched in the various language combinations. If you would like to have a second tandem partner, please contact us via email and indicate which target language you would like.
