Team
Learn languages & find friends
At Wordculture, everything revolves around languages and culture. Our international team of teachers and childcare providers from over 12 countries creates a warm learning environment that promotes community and exchange.
With innovative and modern methods, professional expertise, and great passion, we have been making language learning lively and efficient since 2013. Since 2021, we have also been an official partner of the City of Zurich.
Visit us in the heart of Zurich and immerse yourself in the world of languages!
Dr. Susanna Mineve
Founder & Managing Director
Susanna is a linguist by passion and conviction. After completing her degree in English Literature and Romance Studies at the University of Milan, she went on to earn her doctorate in Comparative Literature and Linguistics. After academic and professional experience in England, Germany, and France, she worked as a research associate in academic research at the University of Milan during her doctoral studies.
But at some point, theory was no longer enough for her. She wanted to bring language to where it is lived and needed. After years as a freelance language teacher and translator, she founded Wordculture in 2013. She is convinced that good language teaching is more than just grammar and vocabulary: it requires contemporary methods, empathy, and a deep understanding of what learning truly means. A special feature of Wordculture to this day remains the in-house childcare, which also enables parents to learn languages.
Today, Wordculture is one of the leading language schools in Zurich. On behalf of telc, Susanna also developed educational materials for foreign language learners, including telc exam books for Italian, published by Compendio Verlag.
As a native speaker of Italian who herself speaks fluent German, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, she knows the challenges of language learning firsthand. This knowledge flows into everything she does, including the further training of the Wordculture team according to the latest findings in linguistics.
Karin Strickler
Co-Head of School & Exam Coordinator
Karin holds a Master’s degree in History, Constitutional Law, and Journalism from the University of Zurich and has the SVEB 1 certification. Her professional path led her from the cultural sector through a law firm to the LernLokal of Caritas.
She has been with Wordculture since 2019 and initially taught German as a Foreign Language (A1–C2) and Swiss German. Since 2026, she has been the Co-Head of Wordculture. She supports course instructors and participants didactically and organizationally (and often psychologically ;-)). With great commitment, she and Susanna take care of the small and large matters of school operations. Furthermore, she is the exam coordinator for telc exams and fide tests. She also enjoys stepping in as a substitute when needed.
Balázs Paál
Project Manager & Course Instructor
Seven unforgettable years in Vietnam were very influential in his professional career as a DaF (German as a Foreign Language) teacher. There, he was responsible for coordinating a specialized language project at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and participated in German courses for the linguistic and cultural preparation of young professionals with medical training.
He has many years of experience in the coordination, planning, implementation, and evaluation of learning groups of various sizes, both in general language and vocational modules. With great passion, he develops new materials and experiments in class with scenarios centered on real-life situations and everyday language. In his courses, communication is a top priority, through which grammatical structures are also taught. It gives him great joy when participants from the most diverse parts of the world come together in the classroom and he can accompany them in their foreign language acquisition.
At Wordculture, he teaches German courses from A1 to C1, coordinates projects, and offers train-the-trainer workshops and further training for teachers.
Rosaria Lecci
Rosaria is a trained translator, certified telc examiner (A1–C2), and holds the SVEB 1 certification. Teaching is at the heart of her work: she teaches German and Italian with clarity, structure, and a fine sense for language. She also speaks English, French, and Russian. Due to her therapeutic background, she teaches German for medicine and nursing. In her spare time, she jumps rope, travels, and writes about philosophical and psychological topics.
Tiziana Vitaliano
Tiziana is a trained Germanist (UZH), SVEB and CEDILS certified in adult education, and teaches from A0 to C2. She is also an exam coordinator for fide tests. Having grown up bilingual and being interculturally adept, she teaches both German and Italian with great passion.
Her heartfelt concern: not only to coach course participants in learning the language but also to inspire them with its beauty.
Kacper Rybinski
Kacper studied Psychology and Italian Language and Literature at the University of Zurich and the Sapienza University in Rome. His passion for languages and literature led him to write and publish a book at the age of 18 (“Upadek Nadziei”, German title: “Der Fall der Hoffnung”), which was among the prize-winners of the International Olympiad for Polish Language and Literature. As a translator, he has rendered poems by Joseph von Eichendorff into Polish, and has been teaching Polish and German to adults and children at Wordculture since 2018.
He loves contact with people from different cultural backgrounds and ages and uses his knowledge from his psychology studies to make his lessons efficient and entertaining according to the findings of cognitive psychology and neuroscience.
In his spare time, Kacper enjoys reading classical literature, traveling, cooking for his wife, training in martial arts, and playing computer games. Kacper believes that learning is a lifelong process, which is why he not only teaches but also enjoys learning foreign languages himself: he speaks fluent Polish (naturalnie!), German, English, italiano (con tanto piacere), un peu français, 日本語は少し話せます、and a little Russian.
Damiam Adams
I am a highly experienced English language teacher with over 25 years in TEFL, primarily based in Zurich since 2002, alongside two years teaching in Poland.
Over the course of my career, I have worked with a wide range of learners, from young teenagers to adult professionals, developing a flexible and student-centred approach to language teaching.
Since 2012, I have also been a qualified IELTS Speaking Examiner, which has given me extensive insight into assessment standards and the specific skills required for success in international English language examinations.
My teaching focuses on building confidence, fluency, and practical communication skills, tailored to the individual needs and goals of each learner.
I pride myself on creating a supportive and engaging learning environment that encourages progress and independence.
I specialise in and strongly prefer face-to-face teaching, where I can maximise interaction, engagement, and learner progress.
Outside of my professional life, I am married and enjoy reading, walking, and following my hometown football club, Liverpool FC.
Emma Hovannisyan
Emma is a dedicated and linguistically adept linguist with a strong passion for language teaching. She has been teaching German for nine years, combining professional competence with didactic sensitivity.
She has successfully completed two degree programs in the field of linguistics and possesses sound theoretical and practical knowledge. As a speaker of several languages from different language families, she has a nuanced understanding of linguistic structural relationships and the individual learning needs of her students.
Olesia Yaremchuk
Olesia Yaremchuk is an English teacher and methodologist as well as a certified life coach with over 15 years of experience in the education sector and in the development of educational projects. Her professional career began as a teacher; she later founded and managed an educational center in Ukraine. There, she was responsible for developing curricula, leading a team of teachers, and ensuring high quality standards in teaching. After moving to Switzerland, she continued her work in an international educational environment, working with children and adults from diverse cultural backgrounds.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics (English), a TESOL certification, and has completed numerous further training courses, including the Drama in ELT course (Paul Harvey).
In her work, she combines modern teaching methods with a structured, individual approach and coaching elements. In this way, she supports her learners in mastering the language effectively, developing confidence in communication, and achieving concrete progress in academic and professional contexts.
Alexander Markin
I am a language instructor for German and Russian with more than 20 years of experience in adult education (university, college, and language courses) and a certified telc examiner. I also work as a literary translator.
Gisela Orellano
Gisela comes from Argentina and currently lives in Switzerland, a country with which she has had a close connection for many years. She previously lived here from 2002 to 2009 before returning to Switzerland in 2019, where she is now based.
Between her two stays in Switzerland, she spent a total of ten years in South America: first five years in Bolivia, where she worked as a volunteer in an NGO, and then four years in Argentina. These intercultural experiences have lastingly shaped her perspective and enrich her teaching today.
She currently works as a Spanish teacher and as an interpreter, helping people of different backgrounds build linguistic and cultural bridges.
She holds language certificates at level B1 in English and C1 in German and places great value on continuous learning and development.
In her spare time, she enjoys walking, swimming, and reading a lot, as it gives her balance and inspiration.
Kersten Funck-Knupfer
After her state examination in German Studies and studying history and geography at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, she gained her first teaching experience in state-funded German courses for the integration of ethnic German resettlers. Subsequently, she taught German as a Foreign Language at private language schools at home and abroad, including International House Freiburg, CIAL Faro, and the International School Vilamoura (CIV), where she was also responsible for conducting oral IGCSE exams.
In addition, she works as a translator from Portuguese and English into German and learned to appreciate the advantages of online work during the COVID pandemic. She has been part of the Wordculture team since 2022.
Ines Mladenovic
Ines holds a Master’s degree from the University of Bern in English with a minor in Philosophy. She also holds a Cambridge CELTA certificate and specialises in German B1 exam preparation and naturalisation courses. She also teaches German from A1 to C1 as well as the closely related languages Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian.
Ines loves teaching. Even in high school, she gave tutoring lessons to younger students. She grew up multilingual and was always very interested in other languages and cultures. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and traveling.
Alice Zino
Alice studied Anthropology and Ethnology at the University of Siena and completed a Master’s degree in Language Didactics. After moving to Switzerland, she discovered a passion for the German language and ultimately became a German teacher herself.
Over the last 20 years, she has worked as a language teacher in a wide variety of contexts, from public schools to asylum centers. Today, she enthusiastically accompanies learners in learning Italian and German. She places great value on continuous further training and innovative teaching methods. This is also why she decided to pursue further training at the Goethe Institute. When Alice is not standing in front of a class, she takes care of her three children or hits the dance floor.
Marissa Simonelli
After studying Psychology and Mathematics, Marissa taught mathematics in the USA before taking the step to Europe and English teaching over ten years ago. Today, she teaches children and adults at all levels (A1–C2) and brings an international perspective shaped by her life in the USA, England, and now Switzerland.
For her, the best part of her work is supporting her students in achieving their goals – whether for exams, career, school support, or personal development. Outside of class, Marissa has been a volunteer with the Red Cross/Missing Maps Zurich team for many years.
Laura
Laura is a specialist in French and Italian. She has studied and conducted research at renowned universities such as Paris-Sorbonne, Cornell University, the Université de Genève, and the University of Zurich. Her students appreciate her commitment, her nuanced pedagogy, her infectious enthusiasm, and her sense of humor, which makes her lessons lively and entertaining.