Language wins: A student’s journey to her dream job in France

2024 is the year of language wins! We guide our students to conquer their language aspirations, transform their lives through language mastery, and integrate into their desired communities. Lingoda fosters a thriving global network of passionate language learners who are collectively making life-altering language breakthroughs every single day. We tell the stories of Lingoda students! Come and meet Dasha from Chicago, Illinois, who is currently learning French with Lingoda and learn about her motivation, her favorite things about Lingoda and, of course, her biggest language win!

• Why did you want to learn a language? 
• Why did you choose Lingoda? 
• What’s your favorite thing about Lingoda?
• What’s your biggest language win?
• What’s your funniest language fail?
• What advice do you have for other learners

---

Dasha, why did you want to learn a language? 

I decided to learn French because I’ve always had a passion for French cuisine, and I knew that I wanted to work in a French kitchen. So it starts with the language. Otherwise, I won’t be able to communicate with my coworkers or bosses and learn about French cuisine.

Why did you choose Lingoda? 

I chose Lingoda because of the way that their classroom is set up. I wanted to interact and actually speak in classes. I wanted to be able to really immerse myself in the language, and Lingoda does a great job at doing that.

What’s your favorite thing about Lingoda?

My favorite feature about Lingoda is the 1-on-1 opportunities that you have to speak a new language.

Also, it’s a classroom within your own time frame, which I appreciate, especially with my schedule. I don’t have the opportunity to go to your traditional 8 a.m. class weekly. I can decide which times to take the courses but also have great professors no matter what, all from different parts of French-speaking countries and not just France. So that’s cool to see the different dialects.

Another favorite thing is the new world that Lingoda has opened up for me which is a whole new culture outside my own. 

Besides, a favorite feature is the flashcards. They allow you to practice words that you aren’t familiar with, and I really appreciate that.

What’s your biggest language win?

My biggest language win is being hired, as quickly as I was, in a Michelin star restaurant.

Fluency in French is an important factor when considering sponsorship for foreign nationals. To obtain a visa, I had to pass a language test, which included French proficiency. So my biggest language win was passing it and achieving a job in France, particularly in a French kitchen. It’s been a significant accomplishment for me, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

What’s your funniest language fail?

My biggest failure is understanding a word incorrectly. So my sous chef told me to go gather a few items, one being a “poireau”, which is a leek. I thought he said “poivron”, which is a bell pepper, so completely different things. But I went to grab the wrong thing and all I got was “no, no, no, no, no, no.”

Well, we all learn and now I know the difference and I will never forget it. 

What advice do you have for other learners?

Tips that I have regards to learning the language is repetition. I personally have gone back and repeated classes that I’ve already taken. A lot of people put the pressure on themselves to move forward and complete course after course. 

Lingoda gives you the option to retake the class on purpose so that way you can get that repetition in.

Besides that, prepare yourself for the lesson as well. I look at the lesson plan and the vocabulary. So that way I’m engaged in the lesson and not trying to learn in the moment.

Lastly, try your best to speak the language, especially with your professors and the students in your course. 

Thanks, Lingoda. I can now understand a lot more French than I did when I first arrived here at the beginning of the year, so. Thank you, Lingoda!