Copy of Meet Sanda: Helping Learners Build Confidence Through Language

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At Speak Charlie, our coaches bring a passion for languages and people that makes every lesson more meaningful. One of them is Sanda Tcacencu, a language coach who has taught French, Italian, and Swedish. With a natural enthusiasm for languages and a strong focus on confidence-building, she helps students not only improve their skills but also feel comfortable using them in real life.

From Early Language Learning to Coaching Others

Sanda’s journey with languages started early. Fascinated by foreign languages from a young age, she naturally gravitated toward teaching as a way to share that passion with others. Over time, coaching became the perfect way for her to combine her love of languages with helping people reach their goals.

At Speak Charlie, teaching has also become a two-way learning experience. Working with students from different backgrounds allows her to explore not only the language itself, but also the culture and perspectives that come with it. Through every lesson, she gains new insights from her students’ experiences while helping them grow in confidence and fluency.

The Joy of Getting to Know Students

For Sanda, the most rewarding part of coaching is the human connection that develops over time. Each lesson is an opportunity to hear students’ personal stories, follow their progress, and watch their confidence grow as they begin using the language in more situations.

Seeing that transformation, from hesitation to comfort, is one of the highlights of her work as a language coach.

Creating a Safe Space to Make Mistakes

One of the biggest challenges language learners face is the fear of making mistakes. This can often hold people back from speaking freely or trying out new expressions.

Sanda addresses this by creating a relaxed and supportive learning environment where mistakes are treated as a natural and valuable part of the learning process. By sharing her own experiences of learning languages, she helps students realise that everyone struggles at times.

“Once students feel the classroom is a safe space to make mistakes, they relax and dare to be more playful with the language,” she explains.

Tracking Progress Through Goals and Confidence

Progress in language learning looks different for every student. At the beginning of a course, Sanda works with learners to identify both short-term and long-term goals. These goals are revisited throughout the course to ensure the lessons remain aligned with each student’s pace and needs.

For Sanda, success is not only about reaching language milestones, but also about seeing students genuinely enjoy the process of learning. When learners feel comfortable speaking, laughing, and experimenting with the language, it’s a sign that real progress is happening.

A Proud Breakthrough Moment

One particularly memorable moment involved a student who was preparing for an important presentation at work. Although the presentation was originally in English, Sanda suggested that they practise delivering it in Swedish during their lesson.

To both of their surprise, the student translated the slides effortlessly and delivered the presentation smoothly in Swedish.

“In that moment I truly felt proud to be his teacher and happy for the progress he had made,” Sanda recalls.

How Language Learning Strengthens Workplace Confidence

Through her coaching experience, Sanda has seen how learning a language can have a powerful impact on employees’ confidence at work. Stronger communication skills not only help in professional situations such as meetings and presentations, but also in informal moments like lunch conversations or after-work gatherings.

These everyday interactions help learners build stronger professional relationships and feel more included in their workplace environment. As confidence grows, so does collaboration, efficiency, and overall performance.