Team

Study Program: Public Economics, Law, and Politics

Languages: Spanish, English, German, and French (in progress)

My most helpful tip for language learning: Be and stay motivated. For this, it is important to set goals, as well as to continuously check up on the learning progress and reward yourself for every achievement. Fun is also a very important element that should always be present during the whole learning process. 

My biggest inspiration for language learning is the opportunity to interact with people from different regions of the world, to explore new cultures and world views, and to acquire a broader understanding of the world.

I enjoy working as a tutor at the SLZ because I love coming into contact with international students, languages, and learning processes. I enjoy the opportunity to help others acquire a new language, master it, or improve language skills. I also enjoy working in intercultural contexts and am always happy to share my own culture and language with others.

Study program: Cultural Sciences & Sustainability Studies

Languages: German, English, French, and Russian (in progress)

My most helpful tip for language learning: Personally, I find the reason for which I learn a language the most important. For example, do I want to finally understand the sense of the lyrics of my favourite songs, or do I want to chat with my best friend in her mother tongue? With this question answered, I stay motivated even in difficult learning phases.

My biggest inspirations for language learning are the encounters and experiences that come with the learning of a language. Although speaking can be challenging, it is very special to feel home not only in one’s own mother tongue but also in other languages.

I enjoy working as a tutor at the SLZ because I find the atmosphere there to be very motivating and because I enjoy supporting people in the realization of their language goals. I particularly like the fact that we as the team of tutors actively shape the SLZ and can thus bring our enthusiasm for languages into the work.

Study Program: Studium Individuale & Political Science

Languages: German, English, French and elementary Arabic

My most helpful tip for learning languages: Using every opportunity to talk to nice native speakers. Do not get discouraged, those conversations are a great way to find wonderful friends!

My greatest inspiration for learning languages is: Besides the nice people you meet through learning languages, it is also great fun to use opportunities to not only learn a language, but also to travel and explore the connections between linguistic specifics and culture.

I like working as a tutor at the SLZ, because: it is fun to talk to people in and about different languages and to help them to improve their language skills.

Study programme: Cultural Studies & Educational Science

Languages: German, French, English, a little Arabic

My most helpful tip for language learning: Don't be afraid to make mistakes and dare to just speak. Also, it always helps me to listen to native speakers a lot and pick up expressions that way. If it is not possible to be in the country, it also works well via films or a language tandem.

My biggest inspiration for language learning are the different facets of languages and new perspectives that come from learning a new language. I find it particularly fascinating to learn new expressions that may not exist in my mother tongue.

I enjoy working as a tutor at the SLZ because I can work with international students and help others improve their language skills or learn a new language.

Study Program: Global Environmental & Sustainability Studies

Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Kazakh

My most helpful tip for language learning: Try to integrate the language you are learning into your daily life! For instance, TV shows, podcasts and books, as well as a coffee meet up with a native speaker, expose you regularly to the language and therefore help you to consistently improve.

My biggest inspiration for language learning is to be able to communicate with many different people. While traveling to other countries the life there can be experienced way more profoundly if you can talk to the people there in their native language.

I enjoy working as a tutor in the SLZ because I really enjoy the exchange with other language learners and I am very happy to help them out, as well as to learn something myself.

Study Program: Public Economics, Law and Politics

Languages: Portuguese, English, German, and Spanish

My most helpful tip for language learning: Dedication and patience. Learning a new language is always a challenging and sometimes time-consuming process. Therefore, finding enjoyable ways to learn makes the process easier. My tip is to make the process of learning a new language part of your everyday life, connect it to your hobbies and don't be afraid to make mistakes.

My biggest inspiration for language learning: The world of possibilities that knowing a new language opens. Learning a new language gave me the chance to connect with people from different parts of the world. It gave me the opportunity to study in another country and get to know new places and cultures.

I enjoy working as a tutor in the SLZ because I have always been interested in learning languages. That's why I think it's wonderful that there is a place like the SLZ at Leuphana that helps students with the challenge of learning a new language. I think the Self-Access Center is great because you can learn new languages in a laid-back and social environment.

Study Program: Global Environmental & Sustainability Studies (GESS)

Languages: Italian, Russian, English, French, German (I’m learning)

My most helpful tip for language learning: Give yourself time! Not seeing results right away may be demoralising, but everyone has their own speed and energy. Just be consistent and trust the process: the results, sooner or later, will arrive without you even noticing them.

My biggest inspiration for language learning: as the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein used to say, the limits of my language are the limits of my world. The more languages you learn, the wider your world becomes.

I enjoy working as a tutor at the SLZ because seeing how other people learn my own language gives me precious insights into it. There are so many things that we don’t notice about our mother tongue just because we’re used to it! The learning process, with languages, is always mutual.