NEW YORK – In the effort of learning another language, improvement can only be achieved through a consistent determination of practicing. Being part of a community of the culture that speaks the language does help.
There are six Toastmasters Bilingual Clubs available in the New York Area where members speak Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Hindi, and counting*, and they are here to support.
PS: you can join the meeting online, too. Here are the four reasons why you should attend their meetings.
1. You Can Come as You Are
If you are interested in learning a new language but did not even have the time to start yet, you can still be part of any Toastmasters Bilingual Club of your choice.
Toastmasters meetings will be conducted in two languages, English and the other language.
Translations will be given in both languages and at every meeting, a “word of the day” will be introduced.
Nobody is forced to speak a specific language, but everyone is encouraged to use the “word of the day” as a way to practice.
2. You Can Get Help from a Mentor
While speaking in a new language, the expectation of using the proper grammar can produce a little anxiety, yet guests and members should not worry too much.
In every meeting, there will be one or two members who will be in charge to inform the other speakers on how to use correct grammar for both English and the other language.
Sara Kadowaki, the founder and the president of the Dewan-Shai Arabic/English Toastmasters Club, mentioned that her club is where native and non-native speakers can practice improving their skills in a warm and supportive environment.
“Native speakers in our club play an important role. They can point out the grammatical error and what felt natural while speaking the language,” she added.
A mentoring program is also available in every club to help members to meet their educational goals.
3. You Can Be Exposed to a Different Culture
Many people joined a Bilingual Toastmasters Club to meet a new community and be exposed to a different culture.
Cultural exploration does not stop only during the meeting but also outside of the meeting.
“Before the pandemic, we would meet off-line and had French cheese, crackers, and wine during our meeting.
Our members also attended some external events such as watching French movies together or visiting French exhibitions.
We also had several meetings joined by the French American Chambers of Commerce,” said Jan-Paul Roodbol, Treasurer of French/Bilingual Toastmasters of New York who is also the current District Director of Toastmasters District 46.
In another club, Namaste NYC Toastmasters Club, a Hindi/Bilingual, each meeting will have a cultural talk session where attendees talk about Indian cultures.
“For instance, we have discussions about different festivals and celebrations in India, and many people are engaged in the conversations. In the future, we are hoping to have a standup comedian attending the club,” said Jessly Chettaniyal, the treasurer of Namaste NYC Toastmasters Club.
4. You Can Expand Your World
Being part of a Bilingual Toastmasters Club means being part of a group of people from diverse backgrounds who will support you to become a more confident communicator and leader both in English and the language that you want to learn.
These are real-world and highly in-demand soft skills that will help you advance both your personal growth and career.
Members can even meet people from different parts of the world. Hiroko Watanabe, Vice President of Public Relations from Nichibei Toastmasters Club (English-Japanese Bilingual Club) who had been a member of Toastmasters for more than five years mentioned that everyone will be warmly welcomed no matter where they come from.
“Most of our members come from the New York and New Jersey areas but we also have members joining from California, Baltimore, and even Japan for our zoom and hybrid meetings.
FIND YOUR COMMUNITY!

Ready to learn and be exposed to a new culture? Attend the Toastmasters Club Bilingual Club Meeting of your choice!
1. Dewan-Shai Arabic/English Toastmasters Club
Meeting Times: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 6.30 PM – 8.00 PM EST. Please contact Faraj Haddad at haddad_faraj@yahoo.com for online and hybrid meeting attendance. Official Website:https://dewanshai.toastmastersclubs.org.
2. French/Bilingual Toastmasters of New York
Meeting Times: 2nd & 4th Mondays, 6.00 – 8.00 PM EST. Please, contact Louis Standish at louisstandish@yahoo.com for online attendance. Official Website:https://frenchbilingualnyc.toastmastersclubs.org.
3. Jade Toastmasters Club (Mandarin/English Bilingual Club)
Meeting Times: 1st and 3rd Wednesday, 7:00 PM – 8.30 PM EST. Please, contact jadetoastmastersnyc@gmail.com for online and hybrid meeting attendance. Official Website:https://jadenyc.toastmastersclubs.org.
4. La Voz Latina Toastmasters (Spanish/English Bilingual Club)
Meeting Times: 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 7.30 PM EST. Please, contact Marcos Timana at mtiamanaea@gmail.com for online meeting attendance. Official Website:https://1488421.toastmastersclub.org.
5. Nichibei Toastmasters Club (Japanese/English Bilingual Club)
Meeting Times: 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 6.30 PM EST. Please contact Masanori Hirakawa at nichibeitm51@gmail.com for online meeting attendance. Official Website:https://nichibei.toastmastersclub.org.
6. Namaste New York (Hindi/English Bilingual Club)
Meeting Times: 2nd & 4th Saturday, 9.00 AM EST. Please, contact Sanjay Agrawal at sanjayz@gmail.com for online meeting attendance. Official Website: https://linktr.ee/namastenyctoastmasters.
*Anyone can suggest a club, if there is a specialty that you would like to see, please let Toastmasters International know at cgd@toastmasters46.org.
Toastmasters International Specialty Bilingual Clubs are a great mix of native and non-native, rusty and “getting there” speakers who warmly welcome both English and Non English speakers.