Agnès Hy-Tarashev: Head of the Parlhymage language school
I was born in Paris in 1970 and grew up in the Picardy region. In addition to French (mother tongue), I speak German and English. Since 2002, I have lived in Basel.
I graduated with a double master’s degree in English and French as a foreign language from the Université La Sorbonne, Paris in 1996. In August 2024, I completed successfully advanced training in didactics offered by the Alliance Française (CAVILAM).
Over the past 30 years, I have taught French to primary school pupils, high-school students and adults in Ireland, France, the United States and Switzerland.
In addition to teaching, I have been co-editor and co-author of the French language learning tool QTalk since 2015 and am still actively involved in the development of teaching materials (books, interactive games, grammar units).
To make QTalk available in Switzerland, I founded the company Parlhymage GmbH in 2023.
When I was introduced to this learning system in 1997, I immediately understood its strengths. Since then, I have dedicated my professional career to exploit its full potential to the benefit of students and teachers of French as a foreign language.
Welcome on board!
Anne Prioul
I was born in 1968 in Brittany (France) and grew up there until the end of high school years, where I completed the baccalauréat with a focus on the English and German languages as well as Economics. I then studied at the Institut de Perfectionnement en Langues Vivantes in Angers to study translation. After spending time abroad, I gradually moved eastwards – with a 10-year stop in Paris, where I worked. I moved to Basel in 2000 and definitely settled there as I do enjoy life in Switzerland. In addition to French (my mother tongue), I speak German, English and Italian. The subtleties of languages became a passion for me very early on.
After several years as a translator in a Swiss company, I set up my own translation company in 2014. I met Agnès several years ago, and she quickly shared her passion for the QTalk language teaching tool and convinced me that teaching with QTalk was fun! After an introductory period to the QTalk method, I also started teaching French with this great teaching material at the beginning of 2023. In addition, I have prepared an online training course with the Alliance Française and concluded this session obtaining the certificate Enseigner le français langue étrangère aujourd’hui – Parcours avancé in August 2024. For me, teaching French offers a great balance to my translation activity. It is a lot of fun to explain and share the subtleties of the oral and written French language – and thanks to Qtalk, it is also a great pleasure to observe how the learners progress in understanding, speaking and writing the langue de Molière.
I am looking forward to experiencing the Qtalk linguistic adventure with you.
À bientôt!
Kathrin Sutter
QTalk has greatly enriched my work as a French teacher!
I’m from Lörrach and have been teaching German, art and French in Basel for the past 22 years. I studied at the University of Education in Freiburg im Breisgau and in Besançon (Franche-Comté). After passing my first state teaching qualification, I lived in Strasbourg for four years. Then, after completing my second state teaching qualification for secondary schools, I moved back to the ‘Dreiländereck’ region.
I have accumulated experience as a French teacher using various textbooks: from *Bonne Chance* to *Mille Feuilles* and everything ‘en vogue’ in between. I have used these textbook when teaching years 8 to 12 at the Steiner School, years 5 to 9 at the Jewish Secondary School, years 8 and 9 at what was then the Further Education School, and most recently spent 10 years teaching years 4 to 6 at Margarethen School. I am currently working at the secondary school Bäumlihof in Riehen.
Over all those years, I have never seen pupils take such sustained delight in French lessons as when I use QTalk. The light-hearted nature of the learning process draws everyone in and carries them along. Speaking French becomes possible for the pupils from day one, thus lifting their spirits. What they learn in the classroom and doing homework “sticks” effortlessly and encourages them to keep at it.
Teaching with QTalk means being asked, with eyes lighting up: “Ms Sutter, when do we have French again?” I’m delighted to have joined the QTalk team and am looking forward to expanding the circle of QTalk fans!