A home for my words.

My blog is generally about places I’ve traveled, but studying foreign languages has played a part in a number of my international travels. So, it seems fit to touch on it here.

When I decided to get serious about my Japanese language studies, I knew I needed to do more than study from the same textbook series every night. I needed to interact with native speakers. While I lived in a major American city at the time, it was not a particularly global city. I had to tap on the powers of the internet instead. I began researching different language learning platforms with things like “best apps for learning Japanese” and “best apps for practicing Japanese with native speakers.” Both produced a few contenders.

Why I Didn’t Use HelloTalk

I narrowed down my choices and thought HelloTalk would be the best language exchange app for me. That was until I found the app was so buggy that I’d lose my mind before I actually got to interact with any Japanese speakers. That’s how I ended up going with my second choice: Tandem. Over a year later, I returned to HelloTalk and things went better. I didn’t experience app bugs but felt like each landing page was too busy with stickers, pop-ups, and graphics. It served it’s purpose for a while in that I pushed myself to go into public voice chat rooms and sharpen my Spanish skillset there. Until I deleted it once again (:

What is Tandem?

Tandem is a cellphone app based out of Germany where you can talk, text, video chat, and even choose to meet in-person with speakers of your target language(s). You “apply” to use the app by completing three statements:

• I’d like to talk about…
• My ideal language exchange partner is…
• My language learning goals are…

Then, supposedly a Tandem staff member reviews your profile and you can be accepted from there. When I first applied, I worried how they would critique my answers. However, I’ve seen people who put low effort, one-word answers and still got approved, so it may not be all that stringent after all.

Once in the app, you have the option to fill out questions related to your “Learning Preferences,” such as if you’d prefer to only communicate through written messages, how much time you commit weekly to learning, when specifically you like to study, and how often you’d like to be corrected by fellow language learners. You also choose a profile picture and can upload up to 6 more photos of your choosing. This is also wherereferences from previous language partners live. There’s also “Social” section where you can drop in on “Language Parties” (think audio-only virtual rooms) or join “Language Clubs.“

Which Languages Are Supported?

Tandem claims to support over 300 languages, including some sign languages, indigenous languages, and a few fictional languages — think Klingon and Mandalorian (Wikipedia). If you want unlimited in-app translations, however, you’ll eventually have to pay for the Pro version. The free version comes with ads that play intermittently as you peruse new profiles and swipe through user photos.

Are There Serious Language Learners There?

Let me start off by saying that I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with Tandem and met plenty of people who are very serious about learning their target language. I even met up with some of my Japanese language partners in real life while traveling in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hawaii!

That said, there’s a running joke that has even been made into memes about the Tandem users who simply treat it like it’s a dating app (in my opinion, their logo doesn’t help). Hey, I’m all for finding love in the strangest of places! And if someone is mainly just looking for love, they might make for a better language partner because they may be totally comfortable spending most of the time chatting in your target language. What I can’t stand are those who treat it like a dating app but don’t actually speak your target language (!) or have atrocious conversation skills…how do you expect to woo me when your idea of holding a conversation is asking me ‘what are you doing’ every single day. Say something else!

Then there are those who only want to speak English 100% of the time. If you ask me, it’s called language exchange for a reason. Most are upfront or come clean about this early enough. And at least it shows they are serious about their learning goals. It’s just not a match for me.

Scammers?

Look, it’s technology and there are scammers everywhere on the internet. You have to have your wits about you. I haven’t had any personal experiences, although I’ve seen some accounts with what appear to be AI-generated images. I don’t even bother clicking on them as Pro users can see who has viewed their profile and I’d rather not fall on their radar. Also, if someone mentions the name of a chat app, Tandem has an automatic message letting you know it could be a scam trying to take you out of the platform and onto an un-monitored app. You have to determine that for yourself. I’ve naturally switched to WhatsApp with some people because Tandem’s video function continuously has glitches for me, so it’s just easier. But I prefer to stay in the app for text-based messaging because they make it so easy to give and get visual corrections for language errors.

It seems that perhaps men are getting more of the scam-variety messages, but this is based on anecdotal evidence that I’ve head from some of my male language exchange partners. I also have seen many male profiles with messages in their profile stating that they do not want to invest or be involved in scams, etc. That shows me it’s happened enough for them address it publicly. For female accounts, I more often see messages on their profile saying they are partnered, uninterested in romantic advances, and only looking to improve their language skills.

All this to say that in today’s world, you just have to look out for red flags. I’ve met far more real language exchange partners than not.

Cultural Differences

After returning from Japan, I switched to Spanish, a language that I have a far firmer grasp of. I’ve noticed some differences between finding Japanese language exchange partners and Spanish language partners. I chalk most of that up to the sheer number of Spanish speaker worldwide vs. Japanese speakers (500 million vs. 123 million, respectively, according Google’s AI Overview) as well as cultural differences.

Japanese culture is known for being a bit more reserved. Native Spanish-speakers are distributed across the world and represent many different kinds of cultures. Some of these cultures are know for being more outgoing and social, even with those they’ve just met. So while I had different Japanese language partners view and even follow my account on Tandem, many wouldn’t send me a message unless I contacted them first. Whereas while I had a Pro account, any time I made myself ‘discoverable’ in Tandem, my account would get flooded with Spanish speakers breaking the ice first. I found that Japanese users were also more likely to only have one or two profile pictures or to avoid showing their face in their photos.

I spent many years learning about Japanese culture, but being faced with some of the differences first hand was still tough. For example: feeling like I was pulling teeth with my Japanese language exchange partners when I asked them for their own individual opinions on things. Some people were really hesitant and would admit that they were brought up in a culture where it was more important to find consensus and not rock the boat. I have respect for that, yet I’d reiterate that I wouldn’t be offended and truly just wanted to know their own unique thoughts. In reflecting, I realize that the low I hit while back in Okinawa was actually a form of culture shock. Despite studying the culture for so long and being prepared for what to expect as a foreigner, it was still difficult after a few weeks of traveling across Japan. But that’s another story for a different blog post.

How to Make It Work For You

As with most things, I scrolled Reddit threads to see how others felt about Tandem. There were many complaints. I even saw people specifically saying that they couldn’t find Japanese language exchange partners. Again, my advice for this is to make the first move to get the ball rolling. I also saw a comment from a Redditor that inspired much of how I pursued Tandem for a while. The person’s advice was that it wasn’t about how much you liked a person or if they were a bad conversationalist; the point is just to keep the conversation alive. This helped me a lot in getting conversation practice. I would say, however, in the long run it is worthwhile to seek out a few strong connections who can be your consistent language partners.

In the months leading up to my Japan trip, I had a weekly language exchange with a Japanese woman. We would alternate who chose a topic and then take the week to plan our respective talking points. Then we would video chat and correct a person’s response to that week’s theme. This was instrumental in my growth. I went from super slow and afraid to say anything to incrementally more confident each week. It allowed me to navigate Japan solo with much more ease. By the end of half a year studying Japanese on Tandem, I came away with a few friends that I communicated with regularly.

Advice

Use your target language. Most people around the world benefit from having English skills. It helps them to get jobs, promotions, and travel around the world with greater ease. Not only that, but most people are raised with some level of exposure to the English language. Many people raised in the US don’t have access to the same sort of foreign language learning benefits common in various other regions of the world. We are often starting behind peers in other places in the world simply because the privilege of English makes it completely doable to speak only our native language at home and abroad. Many of our parents discouraged learning our family’s native tongues out of fear or a desire to help us assimilate more seamlessly. I say all of this to say that you have to push conversations in favor of using your target language.

Find a way to be fair. Perhaps you and your partner speak one language for 10 minutes at a time. I even have language partners where we agreed I’d speak only in my target language and they’d speak only in English and we would thoroughly correct each other’s sentences. See what works for you.

As soon as I began speaking with someone, I started by using the target language only to demonstrate that I was serious about improving. I also selected the option on Tandem that notified everyone that my preference was to be corrected every single time I made a mistake. That’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it’s the way that I will learn best. I mean, if I’m in tears pouring my heart out to a close friend in another language about one of life’s tragedies, correction is not what I need in that moment. But when it comes to talking about hobbies or life goals, correcting me only serves to help me in future conversations. It’s a personal preference.

Additional Tips

1. Avoid profiles that have half a dozen or more “target languages” listed, but they’re a beginner in every single one of them. Sometimes people do this so they can see more profiles across the globe to scam or woo. Tandem has made efforts to crack down on this. I’m not saying some can’t be serious, but I’ve only found one person like this. And he had already mastered one of his target languages and has plans of becoming a polyglot.
   
2. Be honest on your profile and with yourself about what you want. I’m able to express myself way more in Spanish than in Japanese. With Japanese, I just needed anyone with a pulse to practice with. With Spanish, I realize I’m having a blast talking with language partners who also love to find the punchlines in life. We laugh endlessly in text and in audio messages. Now, that’s the main thing I want in my language partners — someone who is a blast to learn with.

Summary

I would highly recommend Tandem for those looking to get real practice in their target language(s). The app is not without bugs, but it has been far more usable than HelloTalk was for me. Plus, you can submit tickets about issues. I’ve yet to see any of the ticket’s I’ve submitted be fixed (lol) but I keep the hope alive. Let me know if you try the app out 🙂

Conclusion

Tandem has been instrumental in improving my language skills. And it’s a great way to connect with new people. Whether you want to discuss art or you’re keen to find a daily laugh with a buddy, I’d highly recommend using Tandem! If you have any other questions about Tandem, just leave it in a comment 🙂

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UPDATE

I’ve since deleted Tandem. I loved the app. I even considered applying to be an ambassador. What it came down to for me was the time it was taking to find serious, quality language partners. Especially without the paid Pro version, which made it harder to find others and to be found by others. I’d also already made a few quality connections that I kept alive outside of the app instead. And I’ll be back when I’m ready to dive into learning a new language again.

Tandem is an excellent app with amazing potential. It helped me to create global connections. I really wanted to do more with the Tandem team, but couldn’t find a direct email address during much of my time using the app. That’s what I’ll say in short. Overall, I’m so grateful for the experience.