Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Wednesday night at Bow Market in Somerville, passersby may have heard Spanish, French, Mandarin, Hebrew, German or Farsi — all at once.
It’s called a language exchange. Anyone is encouraged to come and learn a new language, brush up on their skills or even just sit and listen.
“The idea isn’t necessarily [about] teaching, rather it’s creating an open social environment that invites all sorts of people together to connect over language,” said Bradley Berman, the event’s creator.
Wednesday was only the second iteration of the event, but it’s been a long time coming.
Berman started learning Mandarin at 16 years old and also became fluent in Hebrew. He experienced similar language exchanges abroad and wanted to bring them to Boston, where he moved just a few months ago.
He also tutors Mandarin through his company LinguaMandarina, where he also teaches English to those who speak Mandarin.
Berman believes learning a new language can open up a whole new world, as it did with him.
“Speaking the language is as much about language as it is about culture and also about belonging,” Berman said. “[In] every language there’s vocabulary, expressions, cultural references, literary references, that are unique to the circumstances under which that language developed.”
About a dozen people have shown up to the events, and Berman said he’s trying to generate even more interest by networking at local language schools and cultural centers daily.
One person at the event Wednesday night was brushing up on their Spanish.
“I learned it in high school, that’s it. I used to be much better at it, I used to be able to talk with people in Mexico,” they said.
Social connection is also a large part of the language exchange’s purpose.
“Society at large is feeling a bit alienated,” Berman said. “I think creating a space that is based on acceptance, and welcoming people as they are and emphasizes diversity, fundamentally is a really important thing to help people feel comfortable to create those connections.”
To hear more about upcoming events, you can join this group.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.