CONVERSATION EXCHANGE SERVICE

• What is the Conversation Exchange Service?

A Catalan conversation exchange service for different languages between students at the University of Barcelona.
 
Signing up for the exchange service will allow you to take part in a regular conversation exchange with a student companion. More specifically, the service puts Catalan speaking students from the UB in contact with newly arrived students in Catalonia, who want to learn Catalan or perfect their knowledge of the language.

• Why take part?

On the one hand, you will improve the oral or comprehension skills in Catalan that you may have acquired during the free courses offered by Linguistic Services. This will give you a better understanding of the language and culture of Catalonia and make it easier to follow courses that you study in Catalan at the UB. You will also be providing Catalan students with the chance to learn and practise your own language.

• How does it work?

The exchange is organized as follows:

1. Students wishing to take part in the exchange must complete the form available on the Linguistic Services website.

2. After studying the applications received, we establish pairs or groups of students who are studying similar degrees or who have largely similar tastes or interests. The students will then take part in a conversation exchange using Catalan and any other language.

3. We organize the first meeting between the students, at the UB.

4. After this first meeting, students agree on a fixed schedule and place for the exchange.

5. Students start to meet at regular intervals and may take part in the activities organized during the course (which form part of the Gimcana de la Borsa d’intercanvi lingüístic).

• What is expected of the participants?

1. That they promise to use the language that they are offering in the exchange.

2. That they inform us about any problems that might occur during the exchange.

3. That they inform us of the termination of the exchange and fill in an evaluation form and/or provide a brief written assessment.

• Which languages can be used?

In principle, each participant is expected to use the language that he/she has offered, as this forms the basis of the selection process. This is not to say that the use of third languages is not permitted. The service is intended to provide language exchange in a broad sense. As such, there are no restrictions on the languages used provided that preference is given to Catalan, since the dissemination of Catalan language and culture is central to the aims of the service.

• General considerations and participation requirements

1. Only UB students may take part in the exchange and in the other activities.

2. Filling out an exchange request form does not automatically guarantee that a place will be assigned.

3. If one of the participants clearly loses interest in the exchange, Linguistic Services reserves the right to withdraw his/her place and to look for a new partner for the remaining student interested in continuing the exchange.

4. All applicants (regardless of whether or not they have a place) may take part in the cultural and social activities that are organized throughout the course.

• Registration form

• List of students registred according to language