Hello,

My name is Marie. My parents, who are both American citizens, spent most of their careers teaching for the American school system overseas. I was born and raised in Germany and spent the first 20 years of my life there. I had German nannies when I was really young and then went to German schools for 11 years before switching to an American high school my senior year (and two American universities after that). I therefore had the great fortune of growing up fully bilingually, speaking both German and English like a native.

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in languages and the subtle nuances of translation. I have been working as a freelance translator, proofreader, private German teacher/tutor and occasional transcriber for the past 14 years. I very much enjoy the challenge of ensuring that the meaning of a document in German is properly and accurately conveyed in English.

When I am teaching or tutoring, my biggest priority is always ensuring that my students fully understand what we are practicing during the lesson at hand. If we are going over verb conjugations, for example, I make sure they understand why the verb takes on a different ending depending on who is doing something; if we are discussing subjects, direct objects or indirect objects, I explain to my students how the articles and endings change in a sentence accordingly. I feel that the only way to move on to the next level of learning a language is if you fully comprehend each individual prior step. This is the groundwork I try to lay in every lesson.