Online Podcasting Project: Sag’s mir

Lisa Shepherd was born in Nürnberg. In Spring 2016, she co-founded the Leeds-based company Bloom Bakers with her business parner Saskia. Bloom Bakers specialise in logo biscuits as well as printed jammy dodgers for special events such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries 

Kay Intek is Head Chef at the German Embassy in London. 

Dr Armin Panter has been director of the Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum in Schwäbisch Hall since 2000. The HFM is located in the old town of Schwäbisch Hall and housed in six historic buildings which are worth visiting as buildings of interest in their own right. In one visit, you can discover the history of Hall and the region from its geological roots, to its time as an imperial town, up until the present day. 

Ingrid is Professor of German at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on organisations and individuals who fought against the prevailing opinions of the time. She writes, for example, about Feminism within the patriarchy, Pacifits in the First World War, Women in the German Revolution and artists such as Käthe Kollwitz who, in their works, gave witness to the reality of war and unmasked social inequality. 

Stitch by Stitch is a B2B clothing workshop in Frankfurt. They are particularly special in that as a social business, they work with professional tailors who have had to flee from their home countries. Stitch by Stitch was developed with the idea of creating a sustainable social business model, which not only produces clothes with the quality stamp of being made in Germany, but also offers a business solution for current social challenges. 

Niklas is a full-time technology advocate and a part-time earth sciences student. He is passionate about natural hazards, Earth observation, climate, data science, open data, low-cost technology, human rights & tech ethics.  And, one more thing to know: he loves rough weather!
 

Martin Funda is a chamber and orchestral musician, soloist and teacher. He gained international fame as the first violinist and founding member of the Armida Quartett. In recent years, the Armida Quartett has established itself as one of the most in-demand young quartets worldwide. Alongside a busy schedule of tours as the leader of the Armida Quartett, Martin Funda also dedicates himself to his teaching and work with larger ensembles. In October 2019 he became a professor for chamber music at the Conservatoire of Music and the Performing Arts in Stuttgart. 

Jakub Fischer is a freelance musician and member (guitarist and singer) in the band Brotmüller. Originally, Jakob didn't study music. Rather, he read German and communication studies in Bamburg where he founded the band Brotmüller in 2012. The band draws on influences from a variety of genres (e.g. jazz, electronic music, disco rock and singer-songwriters), blurring boundaries and soundscapes, and switching between dance and lyrical styles. The band plays concerts in front of theatre audiences as well as in clubs and on festival stages throughout Germany. 

Dr Judith Rifeser is a languages and media specialist and holds a teaching position at Goldsmiths University in the languages teaching department. She researches the topic of film and creates her own short films. Her films have been shown in an array of cinemas and at film festivals in the UK. She is interested in how film and film-making can be used in language lessons in order to motivate students and cultivate intercultural understanding and empathy. 

Leslie is a German filmmaker. She is currently living in Cambridge, where she began her second masters in Film and Screen Studies at the University of Cambridge in Autumn 2020. Her theoretical and practical work focusses on the themes of youth, conflict and trauma as well as the environmental crisis. "Whose Future? OUR FUTURE!" is her first self-produced documentary film which was premiered online at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival in 2020. Her current film project "Eli and Anita" was selected for the One World Media Fellowship 2020. 

I started learning German in school at the age of 11. I was good at German, but I didn’t love it. In fact, if I’d had the choice back then, I probably would have dropped German after Year 9. Luckily for me, it was compulsory to study a language at GCSE, which then led to me continuing German to A-Level and at university. But it was my language skills that gave me the opportunity to work for Arsenal – the team I have supported since childhood – and use my language skills in the community and whenever I work with the players. I have been at Arsenal for 10 years now and without my language skills that wouldn’t have been possible.

I was fortunate to have been brought up in a bi-lingual household, meaning I've spoken German from as early as I can remember! I've always been really passionate about sport - and football in particular - and after spending a year-long placement at Arsenal Football Club, I was employed at the club on a full-time basis for five years, specialising in social media. As part of my role, I'd have relatively regular contact with the players - where my German skills came in particular use! I would often interview players including Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Bernd Leno, Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac, also interpreting for them in live TV interviews. I now work for a social media agency - DAZN Media - where my bi-lingual skills often come in handy.

Silke Nodwell is currently in her fourth year at Imperial College London, where she is reading Maths, and recently returned from a year abroad at the Humboldt University in Berlin. She spent her childhood in Canada and France, and for this reason, speaks English and French. Thanks to her insightful year in Berlin, she also speaks very good German and gained insight into German culture, from Wagner and Brahms to Süskind and Goethe. In the first half of the year before the onset of the corona pandemic, she not only had the opportunity to learn more about differential equations, but also competed a history course and played in the Symphony Orchestra of the HU.

Mike Joyce is Operational Head for Export Control at Siemens Energy, a sector of the leading international technology group Siemens AG. Mike studied German and Italian at the University of Lancaster, and uses his German on a day-to-day basis within the workplace.

Hello, I’m Keely! When I was in Year 12, I was a participant of the Goethe-Institut’s work experience week in Schwäbisch Hall. Now, I am studying German at the University of Durham, and I am particularly interested in German culture and politics. I believe that you can learn so much about yourself and the world we live in when you learn about the daily live and stories of other people. The topics of feminism, the Berlin wall and art are of particular interest to me.

My time in Schwäbisch Hall was probably one of the best weeks of my life – I spent the week in the ecotown of Michelfeld at the town hall, and got to practise and speak so much German. I was part of a great group of people. Many of the other students have now become good friends of mine.

Catherina Kaiser (*1992) grew up in a small town in the black forest. After spending a year as an au-pair in San Fransisco, she studied American History, politics and history (BA) in Munich, with a particular focus on women’s and minority rights. Parallel to her studies, she worked in several editorial offices, and later as a freelance journalist, including for The Huffington Post, VICE, Broadly, i-D Magazin, ZDF and NEON. Her favourite topics to write about are politics, society and culture.

In 2019, together with Zohreh Ahmadian and Marie Eisendick, she founded the locally-known, intercultural feminist podcast in Stuttgart, HerzaufZunge, which they have continued to produce and present together since then. She is currently in the process of changing career path, and will begin to train next year as a midwife. Using her knew knowledge, she will continue to speak and write about the topics which are close to her heart.

Dr. Seán Williams teaches German at the University of Sheffield, formerly at the University of Bern in Switzerland. His academic publications discuss the cultural history of German-speaking regions from the 18th Century onwards, and have been published in both English and German.

Seán learned German at a comprehensive school in rural Norfolk, just as Guildo Horn was competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. His love of terrible pop music took him to Trier for his year abroad: Horn’s hometown, where his beloved “Nussecken” can be found.

Seán graduated from the University of Oxford, receiving his doctorate in 2014 which he wrote on German Literature and Philosophy from the 1800s. His excellent dissertation was published as a book.  Alongside High German, Seán also understands the Swiss dialect. He also speaks a little French and is currently learning Italian – the latter, because he has recently fallen in love.

When he needs a little time out from students and colleagues, Séan likes to sail. His little yacht is called “Lucy”. One day he would like sail with “Lucy” from Norfolk to the Wadden Sea. 

As a child, I always wanted to fly. I had always found the job of a flight attendant very appealing. To apply for such a job, at the time, one had to have mastered six languages. For that reason, I began learning French at the age of nine and after that there was no stopping me. I read German and French at the University of Bath. Afterwards I thought to myself, why just do one job? I could also become a diplomat. Or an interpreter. Or a politician. Or…

Then, I realised: as an actress, I could play all of these roles. For roughly ten years, I toured with different theatre groups, often in Germany. Almost as good as flying! With two children, however, it was often difficult to be on the move all the time. And so, I worked in London as a director, producer, project manager and artist.

I am particularly proud to say that I have worked closely with the Goethe-Institut for over 30 years. Now 62, I am also an activist, dubbing actor and artisan. You name it, I can knit it!