Last night I had an amazing experience. André Barbosa (from the terrific Brazilian Portuguese Podcast) invited me to join a Skypecast that he had created and was moderating. I stayed up way too late speaking English and Portuguese with people from all over the world; simply fantastic!

The concept of a Skypecast is simple: it is a conference call with a moderator. They are free and only require the installation of the Skype program, which is also free. About 20-30 people attended last night’s Skypecast, and there was a healthy amount of interchange between Brazilians and non-Brazilians.

In addition to Skypecasts, Skype is a perfect way to pair up with language learners around the globe. There are various networks of Skype users out there, some dedicated to people who want to learn Portuguese.

The downside to VOIP language practice is not being able to see people’s faces, but that may change; as soon as Skype allows video conferencing, the capability to see the moderator and participants of a Skypecast will be in place. I was a bit nervous before speaking in the ‘room,’ but as soon as we got going, I felt right at home and we had a ball exchanging ideas and translating common phrases back and forth.

André is having another Skypcast tonight. To find his or any Skypecast about Portuguese, just go to http://skypecasts.skype.com/ and search for ‘Portuguese.’ Enjoy!