Our alumnus Nicolas Kivilinna: Bilingual language teacher had to find his way around language learning
Language learning is ideally a natural and personal process
Language and class teacher Nicolas Kivilinna works as an English specialist at WordDive, a company specialised in the self-study of languages. The company provides language courses that learners can complete independently at their own pace using a computer or a mobile app. The teaching materials involve speech recognition, feedback and written exercises, for example.
Nicolas himself works in the interface between the company’s teachers and the technical team. He has a firm foundation for his work from his computer science and English language studies at Tampere University, where he also completed pedagogic studies and class teacher education.
“It feels natural to me to be working between the humanist and technical teams. I was good at natural sciences in school, and a visit by the then Tampere University of Technology during upper secondary school was such an impressive experience that I decided to apply for computer sciences. Later I noticed that I wanted to connect technology with another area, which led me to study English,” Nicolas says.
Alongside studying English language, culture and literature, Nicolas completed language teacher and class teacher qualifications. During his years in comprehensive school, this did not seem very likely, however, as he did not do particularly well with languages.
“My grades were always worse in languages than in other subjects. The classroom was not a very effective environment for me to learn languages. Later on, my philosophy in teaching has been to make language studies as natural a process as possible and to find a personal perspective for every learner. I always want to link topics learned in the classroom with the real world. What’s key in language learning is to find a way to be understood,” Nicolas says.
During his university studies, Nicolas often worked as a substitute teacher and in language immersion, in addition to providing freelance transliteration and translation services through his one-man business for a few years. His path has since led to modern learning environments, developing applications intended for language self-study and preparing related teaching materials. Nicolas finds the extensive impact and significance to be the best aspect of his work.
“We are fairly well known in Finland but our operations reach wider than that. I have personally been involved in developing English-language courses for the Latin American market, for example. Instead of reaching 25 students at a time in a classroom, I can potentially impact the lives of millions through this work. For this particular target group, proficiency in English may signify a path towards a better quality of life.”
Bridge builders are always in demand
With his Finnish–Canadian background, Nicolas speaks natively both Finnish and English. Contrary to what many seem to think, English-language studies at the university were not a walk in the park for a native, either. The studies required the same kind of persistence from him as they did with all other students.
“The university studies delved deep into various aspects of language, culture and literature, including grammar and history. Being bilingual did not help very much in these areas. The pronunciation course was the only one I felt was easier for me. English is also an extensive and somewhat messy language. Despite it being my second native language, I still feel humbled by it,” Nicolas admits.
Nicolas completed his master’s degree in 2020 and began working for WordDive full time during the same year. Alongside formal qualifications, Nicolas finds his studies to have provided a solid foundation for practical work.
“I enjoyed the studies and found our teachers to be inspiring. In my current work, I use quite a lot of the knowledge that was poured into me during the university studies. I even dig up my entrance exam book from time to time to check certain things,” he says.
Over time, Nicolas’ work tasks have adapted to suit his specific skillset and he also gets to leverage his pedagogic and technical expertise. Nicolas also encourages current students to explore other subjects alongside their majors – one may always come across new areas of interest and things that spark motivation.
“There is clear demand for wide-ranging expertise in the labour market. It is always useful to be proficient at something but also to understand other areas. Bridge builders are always in demand,” Nicolas says.
INFO BOX
Who: Nicolas Kivilinna
Position: English Specialist, WordDive Group
Degree: Master of Arts (English Language, Culture and Literature)
Other: A singer-songwriter who writes songs in both Finnish and English. He has composed music to the texts of poets such as Eino Leino and Lauri Viita and written songs themed around Star Trek and Stargate. He also volunteers as a Finnish teacher for Ukrainian refugees.
Quote: “I was visiting Montreal back in 2018 when I decided I wanted to learn French. I began studying it using a few language learning apps and was completely swept away! It was great to proceed at my own pace with no sense of shame. It was an amazing feeling to learn the language well enough to have actual conversations with French speakers. Funnily enough, I ended up working on one of these apps myself a couple of years later.”
Text: Tiina Leivo
Picture: Jonne Renvall