10 years of DIALOG: Theresa & Ludwig tell their stories
Some people hold the strings together in the background – and are still right in the thick of things. At DIALOG, these include Theresa and Ludwig: two people who have helped shape both everyday office life and teaching – with reliability, humour and a keen sense for people.
Theresa has been part of the DIALOG team since 2018 – first as a German trainer and now primarily as an organisational talent in the office. Anyone who deals with her immediately realises that she is someone who radiates calm, is friendly, helpful and always acts professionally. She is versatile, thinks for herself – and ensures that everything runs smoothly. Her courses are characterised by a good mix of structure, fun and a genuine connection with the participants.
Ludwig has been with us since 2016 and is a kind of interface at DIALOG: trainer, social media person, team entertainer – and someone who enriches both the office and the classroom with energy and humour. His conversation coursesfocus on practical language use – real-life, motivating and uncomplicated.
In this portrait, Theresa and Ludwig talk about how they experience DIALOG – between the classroom, desk and Instagram story.
Do you want to learn a new language too? Find out here how Theresa & Ludwig’s course participants have benefited from the German course programme at our language school. Let’s go!
About the person & motivation
DIALOG: Who are you & how did you come to DIALOG?
THERESA: I am Theresa. I’ve been a member of the DIALOG team since 2018. I started at DIALOG as a language trainer and have also been part of the office team since 2019.
LUDWIG: My name is Ludwig. Kathrin, one of our founders, got me on board very early on, even before the company was founded, which was very flattering.
DIALOG: Why do you teach German – what motivates you?
THERESA : I am always happy to observe the progress of the participants. The best experience for me is to see how the language helps the learners to make connections in a country/city that is often still quite foreign.
LUDWIG: I think I have a very good feel for the language and I really liked foreign language lessons myself. I am motivated by the courageous people who want to learn German and make a new start in Vienna.
Insight into Ludwig’s social media work:
DIALOG: What does language mean to you personally?
THERESA : I used to attend a few language courses and enjoyed learning foreign languages. I also love giving little lessons on the peculiarities of the German language in my private life, much to the chagrin of my listeners
LUDWIG: Above all, languages are simply interesting to me. I like words, different sounds and the international.
DIALOG : Is there an experience or a moment that you particularly like to remember?
THERESA : Linguistic misunderstandings in German lessons, partly due to incorrect translations using online translators, funny situations during activity games.
LUDWIG: When we were a bit younger, we once had a team event in an Irish pub. I’ll just say the keyword: crocodile doc, you can find out more details from me personally, preferably in a pub.
Everyday life & experiences in the classroom
DIALOG: What is particularly important to you in the classroom?
THERESA: Fun! Nothing works without the joy of learning.
It is also important to me that the participants are given as much space as possible to learn at their own pace, so that everyone can benefit from the lessons in their own way and no one is embarrassed if they don’t understand a topic as quickly as the others.
LUDWIG: The practical application! I like to use a lot of everyday examples and try to convey the actual spoken language without neglecting the grammar.
DIALOG : What was your best or funniest moment with course participants?
THERESA : A homework assignment to write a letter from holiday: One participant wrote to his German trainer (me). Among other things, the letter was about how he could finally have real conversations in German and understand people on the street, as well as how he had made new friends in the German course, for which he was very grateful. But the best thing was that the letter was almost error-free and the language was very good.
LUDWIG: A course participant once corrected me: As a German, I taught him the word “Schubkarre”, whereupon he explained to me (as an expert) that on his building sites it was called “Scheibtruhe”. After I had painstakingly convinced him of the word “Schubkarre”, I asked my Austrian colleagues, who then told me that “Scheibtruhe” is the more common word in (Eastern) Austria. Upsy!
DIALOG: Which language(s) do you speak yourself – and does that help you when teaching?
THERESA: German (very good :P), English, French (rusty), a few words of Arabic, Spanish and Italian
It helps me to understand how difficult it can be to be suddenly exposed to a foreign language.
LUDWIG : I have learnt many languages and unfortunately I have forgotten most of them, actually I only speak English well. The participants can learn from my experiences: I often tell them that you shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes. Of course, it helps if you know certain structures of other language families in order to convey new content.
DIALOG: Is there a sentence that you must have said 1000 times in the course?
THERESA : All right?
LUDWIG : When introducing myself, I like to joke: “I’m a foreigner too, but luckily I don’t have to learn the language.” That loosens things up and shared MA35 experiences create a sense of community 😉.
Between cultures
DIALOG: What have you learnt about other cultures through your work?
THERESA : Cultural differences are a potential, especially in the labour market but also in social situations/contexts
LUDWIG : In conversation classes, we often talk about “our” countries (various topics). There’s a lot to learn about food, music, film, sport, etc. I learnt how annoying stereotypes and clichés are for many people.
DIALOG: What did you learn from your course participants?
THERESA: A lot – but above all how different approaches to learning can be
LUDWIG: Also a lot. I particularly like facts about other languages and countries.
Personal & approachable
DIALOG: What does DIALOG mean to you?
THERESA : For me, DIALOG is a feel-good place. I’ve been working here for quite a while now and I still love coming here every working day. I always look forward to seeing my colleagues and customers again.
LUDWIG: As well as a lot of work, I also have fun and enjoy myself. I like to joke around with my colleagues and am happy when I can help people in a tangible way. You get a lot of gratitude from customers, which feels great.
DIALOG: What do you do when you’re not explaining grammar?
THERESA : I like to spend time with my 4-year-old daughter, we like to go out into nature, to the playground, the zoo, the swimming pool, the climbing centre, etc. I also love cooking and baking.
I also enjoy cooking and baking.
LUDWIG: My free time is also organised by my children. My other major interests are football (passively for many years) and music (also actively): I enjoy going to football matches, concerts and pub quizzes.
DIALOG: What do you wish DIALOG for the future?
THERESA : Many more successful years with lots of nice and satisfied customers, but also that we don’t lose our personal touch and continue to (simply) talk to people.
LUDWIG: Relaxation for the office and lots more great people for our courses.
Here you can get an insight into our additional material: Learning material for A2
August 2025
