Cheers to new languages and new friends
Written by Ishana Ratan, 730DC en español:
Just a year old, Conversational DC has quickly become one of the city’s most reliably fun spaces to practice or pick up a new language. The group, which describes itself as a “language immersion social club,” was founded by Lauren Aitken, a French speaker who discovered her love for the language on a trip to France in high school and later while studying abroad in Senegal. Since 730DC en español is all about meeting our readers’ language access needs, we were excited to sit down and chat with Lauren about how Conversational DC came to be and goals for the organization’s future.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
730DC: Can you speak to the inspiration to start Conversational DC, and your passion for languages?
Lauren Aitken: The initial vision was to create an everyday social environment that mimicked living abroad, akin to a foreign bar frequented only by locals. In DC, many language groups focus on only one language, but I realized that people interested in learning one language are often interested in learning two. My background is in French, but I often attend Conversational DC events in Spanish, German, and Portuguese due to similarities between Romance languages. I’ve taken classes in Chinese and Arabic too, and know enough to practice basic words and phrases, if not full conversations at the meetups.
730DC: What do typical events look like, and how do you incorporate language speakers at all skill levels?
LA: Conversational DC started as a small group of French speakers at a booth in Colony Club, but it’s expanded to become a much larger network, with people at all skill levels. Events are held weekly at Colony Club, and are led by facilitators, or fluent speakers, who promote conversation. Our most recent meetups have been in Spanish, Arabic, and Japanese, and we’ve even hosted arts and cultural events, like a Spanish Language Wine Tasting. We always make sure the event space is separate from English speaking areas of the bar so that attendees have an immersive experience without any background distractions. We try to create a casual atmosphere, and anyone with less experience who prefers to listen can put on a “listener” sticker until they feel ready to speak in a group.
730DC: What was the process of transforming Conversational DC from a single French meetup group into to a much larger network of language learners?
LA: In the last year, our team has expanded to include over twenty event leaders, primarily through word of mouth and community discussion. We gather requests for in-demand languages when newcomers register online, so we know people are interested in Russian, Hindi, Wolof, Swahili and many others. We’ve made an effort to democratize the language selection process by allowing interested native speakers to lead events. If fluent speakers can recruit twenty attendees and organize a few proficient friends to facilitate conversation, Conversational DC will give them an evening at Colony Club to host a meetup. And of course we’ll help event leaders with advertising, outreach, and use our community networks to spread the word. We did this most recently with Arabic. We’re lucky to have a lot of collaboration between language meetups, which strengthens the overall network and community.
730DC: Where do you see Conversational DC continuing to grow? What projects are you planning for this next year?
LA: Looking forward, we’d like to expand from our current home base at Colony Club, and find meeting spots at other language friendly bars and coffee houses across the DMV. Conversational DC is also in the process of becoming an official nonprofit organization, so that we’ll be sustainable and operational for years to come, and have a platform to create future events and partnerships. Ideas for future meetups include a half English, half Spanish event, so native Spanish and English speakers can connect through language exchange. Later in the year, we’re looking to collaborate with local venues to do wine tastings, salsa classes and cheese tastings to combine language with cultural activity. And in the long term, we’d love to pilot a mentorship program in DC schools, where facilitators at Conversational DC work with local students to supplement public language programs and provide additional resources.
Interested in learning more?
Check the Conversational DC events page, or stop by the next Spanish event on Thursday, April 12, from 6:30–8pm at Colony Club. Find details at the Facebook event page and RSVP via Eventbrite. Come to practice language, have a drink, and maybe leave with a few new friends! And of course, subscribe to 730DC en español to find out when the next events are!
