An almost infinite database of interactive conversations: You’ll never
run out of material to work on.
Built-in positive reinforcement: This system automatically detects when
you are running into difficulty and provides encouraging messages to get
you back on track.
Complete portability: You can access your HB 2.0 system on the go. Use
it on buses, trains, while on walks, at social events, or from the comfort of
your home.
Can you see how I’ve phrased these as if I were pitching some language
learning software? We keep trying to find language learning solutions
through courses, software, apps, flights abroad, books, schools, and a host
of
other methods, some of which can be useful, but these are nothing but
accessories to the true core of language learning: the people we speak with
and hear.
Couch-Surfing for Language Practice
The trick, then, is finding native speakers who will give you that wonderful
language practice. A great way to do this is through websites.
The website I have gotten the most use out of by far is
Couchsurfing.org. This site is well known
among budget travelers as a
means to connect with people living in cities around the world who invite
you to sleep on their couches (couch-surf). I haven’t used this aspect of the
site much myself, even though I travel a lot
and was among the first ten
thousand members to sign up. The reason I use it is because it’s one of the
largest social networking sites and it lets you search through its members by
language. All you need to do is search for the city you live in and limit the
criteria to profiles listing the language you are learning (or maintaining).
I’ve used Couchsurfing.org to practice Italian in Amsterdam, Esperanto
in Colombia, American
Sign Language in Hong Kong, Dutch in Istanbul,
and many other unlikely combinations, all by messaging whoever spoke a
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: 
