35 Colomb. Appl. Linguist. J. Printed ISSN 0123-4641 Online ISSN 2248-7085 • January - June 2018. Vol. 20 • Number 1 pp. 11-24. Portuguese and Spanish Teletandem: The Role of Mediators 1 Teletandem Portugués y Español: El Papel de los Mediadores Karin Adriane Henschel Pobbe Ramos 2 Kelly Cristiane Henschel Pobbe de Carvalho 3 Citation/ Para citar este Artículo: Ramos, K. A. H. P. & Carvalho, K. C. H. P. (2018). Portuguese and Spanish Teletandem: The Role of Mediators. Colomb. appl. linguist. j., 20(1), pp. 35-48. Received: 23-May.-2017 / Accepted: 20-Dec.-2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14483/22487085.12055 Abstract Teletandem is a virtual context of learning languages based on principles of autonomy and reciprocity in which two peers collaborate to learn the language of each other. Usually, the interactions occur in institutional groups mediated by a professor or a graduate student. This paper aims to describe the role of a mediator and the process of mediation in Portuguese and Spanish Teletandem. Previous studies have analyzed how the Teletandem practice in the context of very close languages, such as Portuguese and Spanish, presents some inherent specifcity related to the natural possibility of certain intercommunication between the interactants (Ramos, Carvalho, & Messias, 2013; Silva-Oyama, 2010). In this case, it is necessary to observe the process of mediation more closely and consider the relevance of cultural and linguistic aspects. The theoretical assumptions that guide our description and discussion are based on sociocultural theory for second language learning and assume that the learning process happens through interactions between people and the environment in a cooperative manner (Vygotsky, 1978). The methodological perspective that anchors this study is grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006), which is based on a systematic collection of data that, after analysis, originate concepts. The refection corroborates the fact that the development of the process depends on the involvement of the mediator in different roles and suggests that the principles of autonomy and reciprocity are directly related to the mediation process and can contribute to an effective collaborative context of language learning. Keywords: close languages, Teletandem, roles of mediator Resumen El Teletandem es un contexto virtual de aprendizaje de idiomas basado en los principios de autonomía y reciprocidad en el cual dos hablantes colaboran mutuamente a que aprendan sus lenguas maternas o sus idiomas de competencia. Usualmente, las interacciones ocurren en grupos institucionales mediados por un profesor o por un estudiante de postgrado. Este artículo tiene como objetivo describir el papel de los mediadores y el proceso de mediación en Teletandem portugués y español. Estudios previos han analizado que la práctica de Teletandem en el contexto de lenguas muy próximas, como el portugués y el español, presenta algunas especifcidades inherentes a 1 This project received the support from São Paulo State University (UNESP). 2 São Paulo State University (Unesp), Brasil. karin.ramos1@gmail.com 3 São Paulo State University (Unesp), Brasil. kellychpc@gmail.com RESEARCH ARTICLES