Institut für Sprachen, Kunst und Kultur | Company Day im Sprachenatelier Berlin

Lisa Westphal | Corporate Manager, GJU Project Office

I love that creaking sound under my feet – an old staircase whose wooden floorboards respond with every step, as if speaking to me. The "Sprachenatelier Berlin" is located in a historic building in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, which belongs to the so-called "Samariterkiez," a residential area characterized by its Wilhelminian-era architecture. The listed residential and commercial building from 1906/1907 was designed by architect Hans Liepe for master builder Oskar Garbe and captivates with its Art Nouveau elements both inside and out. The building's style perfectly complements the concept of Sprachenatelier, which combines art, culture, and learning new languages.

Here I meet Matija Sirk, contact person for the teachers of the DaF courses, and Musa Aktaş, who founded Sprachenatelier in 2002. Musa is responsible for all HR matters, but also for spontaneous tasks that need to be handled quickly. In our conversation, he jokingly said that he even changes a lightbulb if he notices it's broken.

Musa mentions that his brother is an award-winning film producer. This cinematic influence is also palpable at Sprachenatelier: film posters adorn the hallways, lending the place an artistic atmosphere.

Matija proudly shows me the grand hall with stucco on the ceiling and picturesque decorations. Both classes and cultural events take place here, as language is inextricably linked with culture and brings it to life.

The name says it all. The "Sprachatelier Berlin – Institute for Languages, Art, and Culture" is not a traditional language school, but rather combines cultural events with language learning. There are now over 50 languages, including Hindi, Mongolian, Kurdish, Urdu, or Tagalog (a language spoken in the Philippines), but of course also German and Arabic. Up to 180 freelance teachers teach their language skills here.

Practical lessons, communicative exercises, and cultural insights combine to form a modern learning concept

Art and culture form the vibrant core here, connecting people. Weekly regulars' tables, joint exploration tours through Berlin's cultural scene, art courses for photography or graphics, and projects like the Kurdish Film Festival or a collaborative play make language tangible. The cultural dimension plays a central role: for example, a theater course provides insights into the social structures, traditions, and realities of life in the Arab world. This connection between language and culture is considered a crucial factor for sustainable learning. Thus, languages are not just learned, but acquired naturally and playfully "along the way," while cultural ways of life are experienced directly and authentically .

It is particularly important to Musa that people who visit his language atelier have fun learning and find a good atmosphere. It is clearly noticeable that for Musa and Matija, it's not just about language itself, but primarily about what can be expressed and conveyed through words. They see language as a keyInternship at Sprachenatelier Berlin

Sprachenatelier primarily offers GJU students during their year in Germany an internship in an international environment where they can contribute in the fields of

Languages, Art, Culture, Management as well as in GFL, Social Media, Marketing or Design . For the GFL internship, applicants from other disciplines are also welcome, in addition to students of German as a Foreign Language, German Studies, or a foreign language.

Generally, applications are welcome from culturally interested and open-minded students who enjoy working in a team, are eager for a practical environment, and have good German and English language skills.

More about internship opportunities can be found here: https://www.sprachenatelier-berlin.de/de/topic/509.jobs-in-berlin.html

My sincere thanks go to Mr. Musa Aktaş and Mr. Matija Sirk for the fascinating insights into the world of language and culture at Sprachenatelier.

Text | Katja Medorn (Public Relations Manager)

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