The We Speak English Project fosters conversational learning of language

At just 19 years old, Matt Wright found doctors, engineers and chemists calling him “professor.”

Wright said he felt undeserving of this title, even though he was helping the professionals learn to speak English.

“My mission is to make learning English more social,” said Wright, a third-year Spanish and linguistics student who started the We Speak English Project. The group, which meets biweekly, aims to teach people in the local community conversational English in a “relaxed and supportive” atmosphere.

Wright originally founded the group at Saddleback College in 2011.

After transferring to UCLA in fall of 2012, Wright decided to start a chapter on campus.

In the We Speak English Project, native English speakers lead small group discussions of three to four non-native English speakers from several different cultural, language and ethnic backgrounds, Wright said. The most popular discussion topics thus far have been cultural holidays and food, he said.

Wright said he came up with the idea to form the group while working in a small restaurant, he said.  His co-workers spoke Spanish with him, and he became passionate about the language, he said. He practiced his Spanish with them while they rehearsed their English with him, he said.

Wright first connected with international students through the Internet.

After meeting these students through social media, he contacted them through Skype and became friends with these students from across the world.

Through his involvement with the We Speak English Project, Wright has found that the vast majority of students want to learn American slang, he said.

“We teach English like it’s not taught in the classroom,” Wright said. Talking in small groups makes the non-native speakers feel more comfortable, he said.

Felipe Arabena, an engineer from Chile, joined the We Speak English Project while Wright was at Saddleback. Arabena, who lives in Los Angeles, said he found the club both useful and enjoyable to participate in.

“It’s difficult to speak English in the classroom,” Arabena said. “(In the club) I can learn English while meeting people from different cultures.”

He said he particularly enjoyed going to a barbecue and swimming party with his fellow club members, where they practiced their English in a fun atmosphere.

Wright and Derek Martin, a third-year international relations student and the club’s creative director, have been filming nonnative speakers’ stories of struggle and accomplishment in learning English, Martin said.

Wright said that in the future he intends to post videos weekly with small grammar lessons on the group’s  website, as well as host dinners, parties and other social events for the club members to bond with each other while improving their English language skills.

“The people don’t always leave completely fluent, but they leave confident,” Wright said.

The We Speak English Project meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Ackerman 3517.