• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Behind the lens with Mario Paecke
        • 25 fun facts about Hong Kong
        • An introduction to international schools in Singapore
        • Dating sites and apps in Hong Kong8 Dating Apps for Singles in Hong Kong
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Koak solo exhibition at Perrotin Hong KongTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • What's new in Hong Kong - The Palace MuseumWhat’s new in Hong Kong?
        • Top Instagram spots: The vibrant colours make a striking shot5 top Instagram spots in Hong Kong
        • Great podcasts we are listening to!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • An introduction to international schools in Singapore
        • Students of the Global Citizen Diploma Programme at Hong Kong AcademyDeveloping soft skills in young learners
        • Why Small Settings Matter
        • Five-year Milestones for Malvern
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • Pok Fu Lam homeInside an eclectic Pok Fu Lam home
        • Home design and décor tips - ginger jarsHow to bring your living room to life!
        • Byobu Japanese screens from Altfield GalleryGorgeous Japanese screens for the home
        • Seasonal home design trends and furniture rental at Indigo LivingTwo seasonal trends from Indigo Living
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • An introduction to international schools in Singapore
        • Pets and Planes: 5 Things to Consider
        • Paragliding in Hong Kong and AsiaWhere to try paragliding in HK & Asia
        • Living in Singapore - CBDConsidering moving to Singapore for your next expat post?
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • supermarkets and online grocery stores in hong kongWhere to find your fave grocery brands
        • Cask whiskies stacked for article on investing in cask whisk for Cask Trade in Hong KongInvesting in whisky casks in Hong Kong
        • New nibbles: where to dine this month
        • Recipe: Kale Salad and Salmon
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • EstheClinic non-surgical treatments - fat freezing2 non-surgical toning treatments to try
        • Women's tailors in Hong Kong8 great women’s tailors in HK
        • Hair smoothing treatments at Glow Spa & Salon in Hong KongHair treatments for a fresh summer look
        • glow spa eye treatmentsTips and treatments for beautiful eyes
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • Family planning, fertility, egg freezing“When should I start my egg freezing journey?”
        • dry eye disease - causes, symptoms and treatment for dry eyesDo you suffer from dry eyes?
        • calorie burning exercises - upfitTry this full-body calorie blitz!
        • Four ways to factor in fitness
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
      • Magazine
      • Advertise With Us
        • June-August2022
        • June-August 2022 Issue – $36 (Free Shipping)
        • March-May2022
        • March-May2022
      • View all
    Close

10 minutes with language teacher Margarita

10 September, 2021 by Expat Living 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/german-language-teacher-hong-kong-institute-of-languages/

German expat MARGARITA LIEBRECHT has been a Head Teacher at the Hong Kong Institute of Languages since January 2021. We find out more about her role, the school’s language programmes and details of a special offer for Expat Living readers!

What language do you specialise in at the institute, and what ages do you mostly teach?

Since our school’s language programmes are exclusively taught by native teachers, I specialise in German. I’m a passionate multilinguist – I learnt French at school and studied English and Spanish language and literature at my university in Germany.

At the institute, I teach a variety of age groups, starting with kindergarten age through to teens and adults. It’s challenging but very interesting at the same time as I can apply the different teaching approaches I learnt during my masters of education and tailor them to the individual student or group class.

Margarita Liebrecht - language teacher at Hong Kong Institute of Languages

Why is learning a second or third language important?

Apart from the obvious advantage you get in professional environments where cross-cultural communication is key, or benefits like being able to converse with the target language’s speaking community, learning a language supports our brain’s ability for abstraction and pattern recognition. Learning a new language also supports creative thinking.

Is it easy or hard to engage students in language learning? Do you use any particular strategies?

It can be both, but as always the answer is more complex. I’m a strong advocate of the immersive language learning approach. Even though we speak of “tasks” in the education field, I prefer to use the terms “language experience” and “language performance”, which are more accurate if you consider when a language is used. An immersive experience represents the foundation of successful learning. Enriched with a focus on communication, learning a language then comes naturally, as a “side effect” of this immersive experience. We are boosting the confidence of students and strengthening their ability to communicate in a new foreign language as a result.

What’s a fun or memorable moment you’ve had as a teacher at the institute?

I remember one situation in particular when I saw how my German class learned the lyrics of a German song as a “side effect” of a learning activity. That specific song was played in the background during one of our immersive vocabulary acquisition activities. One day, while we were doing a different kind of activity but with the same background music, some students just started singing the German lyrics. According to scientific theory, employing music and singing in the target language, especially at an early age, helps language learners to develop accurate pronunciation skills and actually become native-like.

Tell us one interesting word in the language you teach.

German is famous for its long compounds; the longest noun is “Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz” – this is a law for the delegation of monitoring beef labelling!

What can your students look forward to when they get the chance to visit Germany?

Communicating with ease with the locals. They’ll be able to strike up a conversation confidently about cultural interests, cuisine, directions and more; and they’ll be able to adapt to the local environment much quicker than they think.

When you’re not working in HK, what do you like to do?

Outdoor activities like hiking, trail-running or roller skating, plus reading, singing and spending quality time with friends.

About Hong Kong Institute of Languages

The institute has been teaching languages to children, teens, adults, corporations and schools for over 35 years. It currently offers tuition in seven languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese; flexible learning modes of teaching include face-to-face private or small group classes, online or home-based courses.

Keen to get started? To support EL readers on their linguistic journey, the institute is offering 15 percent off the tuition fee (valid until 30 September).

6/F, Wellington Plaza, 56-58 Wellington Street, Central
2877 6160 | WhatsApp 5421 0288
info@hklanguages.com | hklanguages.com


This article first appeared in the Autumn 2021 issue of Expat Living magazine.
Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.

Categories: Education & Enrichment Kids Living In Hong Kong Schools Tags: Children's language courses English language French language German language Hong Kong Institute of Languages (HKIL) Japanese language Language Courses Mandarin language Spanish language

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

Students of the Global Citizen Diploma Programme at Hong Kong Academy

Developing soft skills in young learners

health benefits of having fun

Why having fun is so important

Nataniel - graduating primary student at Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong

Meet Shrewsbury’s Class of ’22!

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.