Projects
Jean, Senior Manager,
Public Service, New Zealand
Designed a personalised pronunciation programme delivered over a 3-month period.
"Sara's assistance has made a huge difference"
Jean was a senior public servant who had emigrated to NZ from France. I was engaged as a language coach to help him work on his pronunciation. After an initial meeting, I identified the English sounds that were causing difficulty and designed some targeted practice activities for Jean. We also talked about the identity-related dimensions of pronunciation. Here's what Jean said:
"... perhaps most importantly, Sara helped me feel comfortable about acknowledging that I have a strong accent, and asking those I interact with to
let me know when they are having difficulty understanding. Discussing what identity is and means, and how deeply it impacts how we communicate and are (or are not) understood, has given me greater confidence in engaging with senior leadership and Ministers. Since our sessions, I have received very positive feedback on the changes I have made.
I cannot recommend Sara highly enough. I work regularly with people who are not native English speakers. The strategies I learned and the awareness I’ve gained working with Sara would make a very substantial difference to any of them."
Carrie, Māori Land Court Judge, New Zealand
Provided language learning advice for advanced te reo Māori study.
"Helped me sort out what I needed to do and how"
After deciding to embark on a Masters in te reo Māori, Carrie asked for my help in planning her approach. She described our discussions like this:
"Sara helped me sort out what I needed to do and how - but more importantly enabled me to frame the undertaking differently from how I could have done myself. That work in leading me to conceive what I was doing in a new and
more effective way was a real gift."
Professor Jack C Richards,
Author, New Zealand
Reviewed and edited book manuscript.
"Incredibly useful feedback"
Jack is a highly acclaimed applied linguist, and a prolific researcher and author. Recently he asked me to edit and review his most recent book. Here's what he said about this project:
"I invited Sara to undertake an editorial review of a book manuscript I recently completed and was delighted with the incredibly useful feedback she gave on my writing. Implementing her suggestions has resulted in a much stronger
book. I highly recommend her."
Kevin, PhD graduate, New Zealand
Coached him to successful submission and award of his PhD.
"Exceptional grasp of the process of writing a PhD."
Kevin had been enrolled in his PhD for 5 years when I was asked to support
him as he approached the deadline for submitting his thesis. Although he had been enrolled for several years, Kevin had not produced much text and was not great at managing his time. Here's what he said about our sessions:
"Without the help of Sara’s expertise, I could not have submitted my PhD dissertation. Sara ... taught me to esteem the originality of my research and to draft and edit my texts accordingly. She also gave me the insight and encouragement to prioritise my thesis amidst the many responsibilities that occupy the non-academic areas of my life. As I hastily prepared the work for submission, my supervisor noted that it had become 'infinitely clearer'”.
Carlos, Postgraduate student, New Zealand
Edited and proofread graduate assignments and professional reports
"Outstanding at editing and providing feedback."
Carlos was a professional who had enrolled in a part-time postgraduate programme. When he encountered some unfamiliar expectations in the project work he was assigned, he asked me to provide feedback on his draft writing. Here's how he described that feedback:
"Sara helped me organise, revise and edit a number of my research projects when I was a postgraduate student. As a result, my lecturers always praised the clarity and organisation of these documents. Not only is she an outstanding editor, but her feedback helped me learn how to write more effective assignments and reports. With Sara's help, I have gained skills that I now apply to every document I write. I thoroughly recommend Sara as an editor and coach to help you improve your writing skills.
Sophie, PhD candidate, New Zealand
Coached throughout the final stages of her PhD
"Brilliant assistance with finalising the PhD."
Sophie is a busy professional and academic who is also enrolled in a PhD programme. I began working with her a year ago, helping her maintain her focus on the PhD. She describes our sessions like this:
"Sara has been helping me with the tedious, lonely and teeth-grinding final
stages of my PhD. She has been a terrific thesis coach - helping with both the thesis form and the art of scheduling. In my professional and personal life, I
have commitments which are more than full time. This has made it much harder
to prioritise the completion. Sara has helped me see what needs to be done first. She shares great readings about the art of academic writing, and has been a terrific, upbeat support providing a focus on completion. I'm hugely grateful to her."
Jeremy, Early career researcher, Sydney, Australia
Edited book manuscript, provided academic coaching.
"Detailed, critical, thoughtful and respectful feedback."
After Jeremy completed his PhD, he missed having access to feedback on his writing, so he engaged me as an academic coach. He describes my coaching in this way:
"Sara takes her role very seriously and, wherever possible, responds to my emails and provides feedback on my writing very promptly. Her feedback is detailed, critical, thoughtful and respectful. Apart from that, Sara is very resourceful in the way she recommends books and online resources to me."