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ToggleThe S.M.A.R.T. Family Language Plan©
Supporting your multilingual family with structure and confidence
Every multilingual family is unique – and so are your language goals! That is why I design a tailored S.M.A.R.T. Family Language Plan©specifically for your family's situation.
This plan takes into account:
- Realistic short- and long-term goals for all the languages your family uses
- Current language fluencies of each family member
- Time availability for every family member to engage with each language
- Resources and strategies to foster active language use and development
- Children's readiness to acquire and learn each language
- Parents' readiness to maintain and nurture them
- Family and community changes that may influence language learning
- Cultural factors that shape how languages are lived, transmitted and valued at home – and the society
My guidance combines scientific insight, best practices and decades of hands-on experience working with multilingual families around the world.
Why Language Planning Matters
Multilingualism can evolve naturally. I made this experience myself and I observed it in hundreds of families since more than 3 decades. But while improvisation works for some, it often brings challenges that could easily be avoided with a clear plan.
We plan for education, finances and health – so why leave our children's language development to chance?
A language plan allows you to act proactively instead of constantly reacting.
With my S.M.A.R.T. Family Language Plan© you can:
- Understand the full range of multilingual strategies available
- Make well-informed, confident decisions for your family
- Ensure consistency and stability across all your languages
- Foster strong, joyful multilingual development
A goal without a plan is just a wish – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Why work with me?
As a linguist, researcher and intercultural communication expert with over 35 years of professional experience, I bring a unique combination of academic expertise and lived experience with multilingualism.
I understand both the research and the realities of raising children with multiple languages – the theory, the everyday practice and everything in between.
I grew up surrounded by multiple languages – and I am still learning new ones today. My (now adult) children thrive in several languages. I have experienced the joys and challenges, the moments of doubt and the gaps between what research tells us and what families actually live.
These experiences shaped my philosophy of Sustainable Multilingualism – an approach that helps families foster their languages in a realistic, balanced and lasting way. It is not about perfection and quick fixes; it is about creating a multilingual life that feels natural, stable and sustainable for everyone involved.
Multiligualism is, in many ways, an investment – and research supports this view:
"Parenting multilingual children has become a task that is largely understood as an investment into securing the child's future..." – Ingrid Piller & Livia Gerber (2018), International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
With the right guidance, multilingualism becomes more than a skill. It becomes a lifelong resource for communication, learning and connection. Through my SLP I help families build this resource in ways that are both sustainable and deeply fulfilling.
Discover how a Sustainable Multilingual approach with a S.M.A.R.T. Family Language Plan can help your family thrive in multiple languages.
Contact me today to get started!
When your child receives Speech and Language Therapy
I also support multilingual families whose children are in Speech and Language Therapy or receive additional learning support at school. Together with your therapist or other specialists (eg. audiologists, psychologists), I help you navigate the different stages of your child's language development, ensuring coherence and continuity between therapy goals and your home language environment.
My role is to accompany your family and create an aligned, confident approach to multilingualism.
Why a Family Language Plan?
Warum ein Sprachen-Plan für Familien?
A cosa serve una pianificazione linguistica per la famiglia?
À quoi bon un plan des langues pour la famille?
Prof. Elizabeth Lanza's answer / Antwort / risposta / réponse
- A family is a community of practice (Elizabeth Lanza, 2007) with its own norms for language use and which has its own ways of speaking, acting and believing (p. 47).
- It is important to focus on interactional processes through which the family realizes, negotiates and modifies its FLP (Family Language Policy) in face-to-face interaction (Fishman 1991).
- Furthermore, the children's agency, their attitudes and involvement in the language acquisition and learning process is crucial (Schwartz & Verschik) for a successful and effective language acquisition and learning experience.
Fishman, J.A. 1991. Reversing language shift: Theoretical and empirical foundations of assistanceto threatened languages. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Lanza, E. (2007). Multilingualism in the family, in: Handbook of multilingualism and multilingual communication, ed. A. Peter and W. Li, 45–67. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Schwartz, M. & Verschik, A. (2014). Achieving Success in Family Language Policy: Parents, Children and Educators in Interaction, in: Successful Family Language Policy, Multilingual Education vol. 6, 1-2.
As a linguist and language expert specialized in bilingualism, multilingualism and language acquisition, I help multilingual families with all their languages.
I offer a tailored S.M.A.R.T. Family Language Plan© that considers each family members needs and levels of fluency, and that the family can use for orientation.
My support consists in professional advice based on scientific findings, successful methods and personal experience.
Als Linguistin und Sprachexpertin, spezialisiert in Zwei- und Mehrsprachigkeit sowie Spracherwerb, helfe ich mehrsprachigen Familien mit all ihren Sprachen.
Ich biete einen persönlichen und auf die Familie zugeschnitten Sprachen-Plan an, anhand dessen die Familie sich orientieren kann.
Zudem stehe ich mit professionellem Rat beiseite, der auf wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen, erfolgreichen Methoden und persönlichen Erfahrungen beruht.
In quanto linguista specializzata in bilinguismo (e multilinguismo) e acquisizione del linguaggio, aiuto famiglie espatriate e multilingue con la pianificazione linguistica.
Offro un piano linguistico personalizzato che serve da orientamento.
Aiuto le famiglie a trovare soluzioni che permettono di mantenere le lingue in famiglia qualora la scuola e / o la società non garantiscano il desiderato supporto.
Nel mio approccio mi baso sui più recenti dati scientifici, metodi di successo ed esperienze personali.
En tant que linguiste, experte en bilinguisme (et multilinguisme), autant que acquisition et apprentissage des langues, j'aide les familles expatriées qui parlent plusieurs langues. Mon plan des langues personnalisé, aide à focaliser sur les langues les plus importantes pour la famille (et les enfants) et il considère les besoins de chaque membre de la famille; par exemple, si les enfants doivent acquérir une certaine compétence dans une langue étrangère et on veut qu'ils ne perdent pas les autres langues qu'ils ont déjà acquis, si un enfant ne répond pas dans la langue cible etc.
Avec mon Plan des Langues personnalisé j’aide les familles à trouver une solution qui leur permet de maintenir les langues lorsque les écoles ou la société ne garantissent pas le support désiré.
Mon approche se base sur les recherches les plus récentes, méthodes de succès et expériences personnelles.
If you would like me to design your personalized Family Language Plan
book your consultation with me
