Many VOA Learning English users live in places where it is hard to find someone to practice speaking English with. You may be one of those people. So you may have tried to find people online, even on our website or social media pages. And maybe you found a partner or maybe you did not.
许多美国之音学习英语用户所居住的地方很难找到可以一起练习说英语的人。你可能就是这些人中的一员。因此，您可能尝试过在线寻找人，甚至是在我们的网站或社交媒体页面上。也许您找到了合作伙伴，也可能没有。
If you have been unlucky in finding a partner, today’s Education Tips is for you. On this program, we offer four tips to help you find someone who wants to practice speaking English with you.
如果您未能找到合作伙伴，今天的教育提示适合您。在这个项目中，我们提供了四个技巧来帮助您找到愿意和您一起练习英语口语的人。
Use Facebook
使用脸书
The first tip is to use Facebook.
第一个技巧是使用 Facebook。
You might already have a personal account on Facebook and use it to do things like share pictures and connect with friends and family. But maybe you have never joined a Facebook group.
您可能已经在 Facebook 上拥有个人帐户，并用它来执行诸如分享图片以及与朋友和家人联系等操作。但也许您从未加入过 Facebook 群组。
Facebook groups are excellent for finding people who share your interests, including English learning.
Facebook 群组非常适合寻找与您有共同兴趣的人，包括英语学习。
You will want to make sure you join a group whose members are very active. When deciding on a group to join, keep in mind that groups with thousands of members may not be as active as smaller groups. So take some time to look around and then choose a group, or maybe a few.
您需要确保您加入的小组的成员非常活跃。在决定加入某个群组时，请记住，拥有数千名成员的群组可能不如小型群组那么活跃。因此，请花一些时间环顾四周，然后选择一个或几个小组。
Note that joining a Facebook group is not the same as “liking” or “following” a page. Groups are designed to share information and opportunities among members.
请注意，加入 Facebook 群组与“喜欢”或“关注”页面不同。群组旨在在成员之间共享信息和机会。
After joining a group and spending time observing its posts, you will begin to see which members are the most active. If you notice that someone writes a lot of useful comments or questions, they are probably serious about learning English. Consider messaging them directly to ask if they would like to practice speaking English with you. You can practice through Facebook Messenger or video apps like Zoom or Skype.
加入群组并花时间观察其帖子后，您将开始了解哪些成员最活跃。如果您注意到有人写了很多有用的评论或问题，那么他们可能很认真地学习英语。考虑直接给他们发消息询问他们是否愿意和你练习说英语。您可以通过 Facebook Messenger 或 Zoom 或 Skype 等视频应用程序进行练习。
Use Meetup.com
使用 Meetup.com
Our next tip is to use Meetup.com.
我们的下一个技巧是使用 Meetup.com。
Meetup is a free website that helps people with similar interests find each other and meet in person. Users of the website can be found around the world.
Meetup 是一个免费网站，可以帮助有相似兴趣的人找到彼此并亲自见面。该网站的用户遍布世界各地。
Members of language Meetup groups often meet in public places, such as coffee houses. The coronavirus pandemic has led some groups to meet online, or in places where safe social distancing is possible.
语言聚会团体的成员经常在公共场所聚会，例如咖啡馆。冠状病毒大流行导致一些团体在网上或在可以安全保持社交距离的地方聚会。
There are thousands of Meetup groups around the world covering thousands of interests. You can also find speakers of every language imaginable. There are English-speaking Meetup groups on every continent.
世界各地有数以千计的聚会小组，涵盖数以千计的兴趣。您还可以找到能想到的所有语言的使用者。每个大陆都有英语聚会小组。
Try a language exchange
尝试语言交换
Our third tip is to try a language exchange.
我们的第三个建议是尝试语言交换。
Language exchanges are unlike usual speaking practices. In a language exchange, a meeting is divided into practicing two languages.
语言交流不同于通常的口语练习。在语言交流中，一次会议分为练习两种语言。
Suppose for example you are a native Portuguese speaker and you want to practice English. Your partner is a native English speaker who wants to practice Portuguese. You and your partner would speak English for one half of the meetings and Portuguese for the other half.
假设您的母语是葡萄牙语，并且您想练习英语。您的伴侣的母语是英语，想要练习葡萄牙语。您和您的伴侣将在一半的会议中讲英语，在另一半的会议中讲葡萄牙语。
Many people that I know have improved speaking skills in their target language through language exchanges. However, other people have found the exchanges a waste of time.
我认识的许多人通过语言交流提高了目标语言的口语能力。然而，其他人发现这种交流是浪费时间。
There are steps you can take to ensure that you are using your effort and time wisely. For instance, decide on clear goals, choose the right partner, state your expectations and prepare for your meetings.
您可以采取一些步骤来确保您明智地利用您的精力和时间。例如，确定明确的目标、选择合适的合作伙伴、陈述您的期望并准备会议。
You can learn more about how to have great language exchanges in an earlier Education Tips.
您可以在早期的教育技巧中了解有关如何进行良好的语言交流的更多信息。
Cast a wide net
广撒网
Our final tip for today is to “cast a wide net.” That means to try many different things to increase your chances of getting what you want.
我们今天的最后一个建议是“广撒网”。这意味着尝试许多不同的事情来增加获得你想要的东西的机会。
Tell your friends, family and coworkers that you are serious about improving your English. Maybe explain your reasons for learning the language. Let them know you are looking for an English speaker to talk to. Ask around your larger community as well. The more people you ask, the more likely and quickly you will find a good practice partner. He or she may not live in your city – or even your country – but you can meet each other online.
告诉您的朋友、家人和同事您非常想提高英语水平。也许可以解释一下你学习这门语言的原因。让他们知道您正在寻找会说英语的人进行交谈。还要询问您更大的社区。你询问的人越多，你就越有可能、越快地找到一个好的练习伙伴。他或她可能不住在您的城市，甚至不住在您的国家，但你们可以在网上认识对方。
Well, that covers our four tips for finding someone to speak English with. Good luck. And let us know if these methods, or others, helped you find an English-speaking practice partner.
嗯，这涵盖了我们寻找可以说英语的人的四个技巧。祝你好运。请告诉我们这些方法或其他方法是否帮助您找到说英语的练习伙伴。