On Tuesday evenings, an ordinary pub in central Canberra is transformed into a melting pot of multilingualism.
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00:00 To any onlooker, this is just a regular pub.
00:05 But this is not just a group of friends hanging out after work.
00:09 Their stickers and the languages they speak give them away.
00:15 They are here for a language exchange.
00:18 It was founded from a place of frustration, of wanting to practice multiple languages.
00:23 All the other language clubs focused on one language and it was difficult to get together and speak different languages.
00:31 It works in a simple way.
00:33 You stick on flags which match the languages you can speak and the ones you're learning
00:38 and go and find someone wearing the same to chat to.
00:42 The loud pub setting sets it apart from a classroom.
00:48 You have to pay attention to the other person and what they're saying, but I think that helps.
00:52 It's not just about learning.
00:55 It's very social as well. So you learn more than just the language.
00:58 You learn how to communicate with different people.
01:02 This is one reason Carrie Liao keeps coming back.
01:08 It's a great place to practice my English. It's also very friendly.
01:13 She's also been able to share her first language with others.
01:17 Actually I found many people here, they want to study Mandarin.
01:21 There are good reasons to be learning like this.
01:24 It frees people from language anxiety that they need to be perfect and not make mistakes in the classroom.
01:31 Although it's not all about grammar.
01:33 It is an opportunity to meet other people and exchange ideas.
01:38 Breaking down cross-cultural barriers with no homework after.
01:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]