about me
I’m a teacher, trainer, coach, editor, and translator living and working between Vienna and Triest, Italy.
With more than thirty years’ experience in matters related to language and culture, I combine my own international, multilingual background and education to offer my clients full support catered to their specific needs.
More about me
I currently work as a freelance teacher and trainer both for the public and private sector. My clients include the Language Center of the University of Vienna; the Austrian Federal Academy of Public Administration (Verwaltungsakademie des Bundes), as well as private enterprises, embassies, and international organisations. For many years, I taught English and Italian within the United Nations / IAEA in Vienna.
After a long search for alternative means of language acquisition that are both more respectful of the individual’s needs and pace, as well as more effective and entertaining, I trained in Psychodramatic Linguistics, or PDL, a method developed in the 1970s by Dr. Bernard Dufeu of the University of Mainz and by his wife, Marie Dufeu. (For more about PDL, click here). Since then, many of my courses and language-coaching sessions are PDL-based and I regularly integrate PDL activities into my more traditional courses.
Alongside teaching and coaching, I particularly enjoy engaging with written material; a portion of my work week is thus devoted to editing and proofreading academic, professional, and creative texts such as articles, dissertations, lectures, and presentations. My clients are mainly academics and professionals who publish or present in English or Italian. I also translate from English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian into English and Italian.
About words in progress
Inspiration for the name of this venture comes from the countless miles hiked along the Camino de Santiago: the path ahead seems infinite, yet progress takes place, one step at a time, until we reach our goal. The same is true in learning a language, writing effectively, or facing important changes in our personal or professional lives: without the proper support and motivation, it is easy to get discouraged and give up.
This is what Words in Progress is all about: providing the encouragement you need to meet your objectives.
Personal Background
Thanks to my personal background as well as a soon-to-be-completed Master’s in Intercultural Studies at the Danube University in Krems, Austria, the diverse issues of the international community lie very close to my heart. To this population I offer both group and individual training and support in adapting to a new and unfamiliar language and culture, managing intercultural change, effective communication, etc.
I was born in Boston, USA, to European parents and lived along the East Coast of the United States and in Western Europe during my childhood and adolescence. I studied Modern Languages and Literature (French, Spanish, German, and Italian) at Bryn Mawr College, USA, and later moved to Italy, where I raised my daughters. Vienna welcomed me in 2004 and has been my home ever since.
a little bit more
When I’m not working, I enjoy walking and long-distance hiking and have completed several Caminos to Santiago. I’m an avid reader and appreciate the rich classical music scene in Vienna. I travel often and spend a portion of each month at the seaside near Triest, where I find the necessary peace and concentration for my editing and translating work.
wordsinprogress
Christine Kolacio
Aichhorngasse 12/4 | 1120 Wien
ck@wordsinprogress.at
+43(0)664 41 50 296
Communicating confidence in language learning and professional growth.