Binghamton University’s large population of international students can pair up with native English speakers to cope with American culture and the difficult language through a conversation pairs program offered on campus.

The English Conversation Pairs program is 20 years old and is entirely made up of volunteers.

Director Jennifer Brondell works to pair native speakers with non-native speakers based on factors such as age, gender and major.

“The only expectation I can have for them is to meet one day a week for at least an hour for the entire semester,” Brondell said.

The pairs can talk about anything from schoolwork to family life.

According to Brondell, not only does this program benefit the non-native speakers, but it gives the native speakers a cross-cultural education.

“It’s really beautiful; partners bring gifts for their pair, because it is a part of their cultures,” she said.

Haowen You participated in the program during the fall.

“I just came here last semester, and I feel very frustrated when I cannot buy a sandwich in Subway and cannot participate in discussions in class,” he said. “So I joined this program to improve my listening and speaking English.”

You said he enjoyed the program, and found it very useful and stress-free.

“It is a amazing experience when we talked about different culture and opinion, to big events,” You said. “And I also feel very relaxed when we were chatting. Jon was not a teacher, and I did not get rated or graded, so I tried my best to use some new words I learned and raise topics about daily news.”

“I think this is a very efficient way for us international student to improve communication,” he added.

Alyssa Tong, a native-speaking participant, agreed that the program is effective. She said it’s useful because it takes place outside the classroom.

“Most of the students are graduate students and make friends with only other foreign exchange students,” she said. “They don’t have as much interaction with native speakers.”

Most students ask to be corrected as they speak, she said. She noticed a drastic improvement in her partner’s speech.

With many success stories like these, the program continues to receive a number of students each semester. Last spring, 200 students participated, and there was a similar outcome in the fall.

Conveniently enough, the number of native speakers and non-native speakers usually evens out, Brondell said.

“I have students semester after semester that come back to participate,” she added.

Many times students keep in touch with their partners and remain friends throughout their college experiences.

“We often meet in the dining hall, and every time we will sit together and chat for a while,” You said.

If you are interested in joining the English Conversation Pairs Program, applications are due today. Depending on the number of applicants, some applications will be accepted after the due date to ensure everyone has a partner.

For more details about the program, call (607) 777-6725 or visit esl.binghamton.edu.