The club, which has been gaining popularity, offers community and connection over coffee and conversation in multiple languages in varying skill and fluency levels.
PORTLAND, Maine — What started as a small group of language lovers meeting in a Portland cafe has grown into a vibrant community, where people gather weekly to practice Spanish, French, German, and more—all through conversation and connection.
The Language Table club has been running for a handful of months as a way for language speakers of all proficiencies to practice their skills and come together as a community.
“There’s a lot of people in the Portland area looking to learn more languages,” Gerald Gagne, one of the club’s early organizers, said.
Another organizer, April Perkins, helps guide programming as a multilingual speaker and hopes to soon make merch to fundraise for the group.
Originally inspired by a college club, Gagne said he missed the opportunity to regularly practice Spanish once he entered the working world. He realized there weren’t many free, consistent options outside of formal courses, so he and a few others decided to change that.
Since its humble start, the club has blossomed.
One recent newcomer, Sean Christensen, recalls attending a meeting with just 16 people. Now, the group has more than 100 members, many attending weekly to practice Spanish—but not only Spanish.
“There’s a table for every language,” Christensen said in Spanish: “Una mesa para cada idioma.”
The club now supports language tables for French, Portuguese, German, and Italian, as well. Attendees can join as many groups as they want, gaining exposure to different accents, phrases, and fluency levels.
The focus isn’t just on grammar and vocabulary, though. The club brings in native speakers to help those learning feel more immersed and connected to the community.
“It makes people feel more welcome in the community,” Gagne explained.
For more information on when each language table meets, you can visit the group’s Instagram page.