I am a proud German speaker and linguist and I also teach English as a foreign language.
I have a degree in German and French from Trinity College Dublin and near native command of German.
Leipzig Germany neon signs
For me, being a linguist is an essential part of being a teacher of English language to foreign learners. In my opinion it’s impossible to teach your native language effectively if you haven’t tried learning a foreign language. It’s a bit like teaching someone to drive without actually being able to drive yourself.
I have taught English in Germany, Hong Kong and the Middle East as well as in the UK.
I’ve taught German and French in the UK as a lecturer at a college of Further Education.
Currently I teach German to private students.
I love the German language and continue to enjoy using it, whether teaching private students, listening to German news reports or speaking it on trips to Germany.
I have always been interested in languages, linguistics and scripts. I know a small number of Chinese characters, as well as Japanese katakana and hiragana. I know how to read and write Arabic script, as well as the Greek and Russian alphabets. I am able to understand written Spanish and Dutch and have learned some very basic Spanish and modern Greek.
I undertake occasional translation work from German to English on subjects related to my interests, such as photography and art.
Collage of Hong Kong neon signs