Monday 25 January 2010

'Language Exchange' In The Hubs - by Dean Robinson

Tuesday 10th November saw the return of the immensely popular and exciting ‘Language Exchange’ event at The Hubs.


Now, what is this event all about? The programme has been put together by ‘Hallam Volunteering’ and ‘Languages Sheffield’ in order to allow people over the age of 18 from different backgrounds to get together and share their different language skills. There were between 15 to 20 tables set up with a variation of different languages from all over the world, for example; Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Nigerian, Arabic and Swedish. Each table had a representative that was fluent in the selected language and English. Some tables even had few traditional language games to add to the festivities.


For a first event of the year, it was pleasantly surprising to see that it was so popular with around 80-100 people filling the A pod of The Hubs. Julia Fitzgerald, Volunteer Co-ordinator for the project said:

“The Language Exchange evenings are a celebration of language and culture, providing an opportunity for individuals to speak their native language or learn a new one, all while meeting new people in a fun and relaxed environment.”


Food and drink was also provided which acted as a bit of an icebreaker, allowing people to relax, socialise and pick up a few tasty treats on the way. Whether your foreign language skills go as far as knowing how to say hello (like me) or whether you are fluent in the language, I would definitely recommend going along to one of these events.


If you’re interested in finding out a little more, you can contact Julia Fitzgerald (Hallam Volunteer Co-ordinator) either by email or by phone : j.fitzgerald@shu.ac.uk | t. 0114 225 5002. Don’t worry if you missed the latest Language Exchange, there’s one on monthly (with the exception of January).


Here is the list of the next few meetings:

- Tuesday, December 15th 6pm–8pm

- Tuesday, February 16th 6pm-8pm

- Tuesday, March 9th 6pm- 8pm

- Tuesday, April 27th 6pm – 8pm




No comments: