“So They’re Actually Real?” Integrating E-Tandem Learning into the Study of Language for International Business

Abstract

Tandem learning involves learners with complementary target and native languages communicating for the purpose of learning each other’s languages and cultures. Studies indicate that it can function as a powerful complement to formal language learning classes with regard to the development of both language proficiency and cultural intelligence. This article reports on an intervention designed to create a basis for integration of tandem learning into language modules for undergraduate students of international business. The exercise involved 32 students in Ireland and Austria who completed letters of application and Curriculum Vitae in their target languages and engaged in peer review with one another. This article describes this process in more detail, discussing successes and obstacles and describing plans for enhancement.

Keywords:

• Tandem learning
• Language learning
• Language for international business
• Cultural competence
• Intercultural competence
• Cultural difference

Notes

¹ That is, one which has not been endorsed as a result of driving offenses.

² In contrast, other tasks set over the 12 weeks of the module were completed by only a proportion of the students. These included, for example, reading comprehensions, translations, and pieces of free writing.

³ This is most likely the result of differences in the perceived value of the target languages in Austria and Ireland and the place of foreign languages in general in the education system in both countries. Further discussion on this issue is, however, beyond the scope of this article (see Bruen, 2013 for further commentary on the Irish situation in this regard).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Bruen

Dr. Jennifer Bruen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies at Dublin City University. Her research interests include language teaching and learning, language for international business, citizenship education, and language policy.

Aleksandra Sudhershan

Dr. Aleksandra Sudhershan lectures in English for Business at the Fachhochschule Kufstein. Her research interests include intercultural business and foreign language teaching and learning.