Learning objectives for eTandem
What can you learn from each other?

First and foremost, you learn to understand the foreign language better and to express yourself more easily in it - and this in an authentic oral or written context.

You and your eTandem partner each possess extensive knowledge of your own country and profession, and perhaps you also have similar interests. When you talk about these things in both languages, you are not only expanding your foreign language skills and knowledge.

General objectives

Many eTandem learners start out by following very general objectives, with a view to:

• refreshing language skills which were previously acquired
• practically applying skills being learned in a present language course
• keeping up the language following a language course and expanding your knowledge
  

Special skills

You can, however, also concentrate on particular linguistic skills and practise these with the help of your partner, with a view to:

• improving comprehension when others speak or write the foreign language
• learning to speak better yourself
• expressing yourself better in writing
• improving your translation skills

Areas of application

Maybe you would like to increase your knowledge of the foreign language for a particular reason and need the help of your partner because you are:

• planning a stay abroad
• preparing for a standardized language examination (e.g. TestDaF, TOEFL, etc).
• needing to use the foreign language in a professional context

In cases such as these, you can also benefit from your eTandem partner's knowledge and experience base of his country and culture. And if you are, for example, a chef, lawyer, technical expert or teacher and work with a colleague in your field, then a professional exchange can be very effective.

Additional positive effects

Both you and your learning partner will acquire and refine additional skills which can later be useful in other contexts. While learning with eTandem, you, for example, practise:

• autonomous (life-long) learning
• multilingual cooperation with others
• working with individuals who come from a different culture