By admin 
A story has emerged that beautifully depicts the bond between cultures and languages. Klara Richter, a vibrant young girl from Dresden, now living in Düsseldorf, Germany, embarks on a journey that spans continents, cultures and languages. Through her remarkable journey from a curious learner of Malayalam to an admired German teacher, Klara has inspired many and bridged the cultural divide between Germany and Kerala in an unexpected and enriching way.
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Klara’s love for languages started early in her life. She started learning Malayalam at the age of 15, sparked by her general interest in India: its food, its culture, its music and of course its languages. Fascinated by the country’s diversity, she initially wanted to learn Hindi. However, her path took a turn when she befriended a Malayali.
“The reason why I learned Malayalam was actually a Malayali friend of mine. I had learned Hindi before and then I got a Malayali friend. So I thought it was more useful to learn Malayalam,” she says.
Klara explains how she mastered the language, “I don’t actually have a Malayalam teacher. Initially, I learned the letters myself and the pronunciation with some help from Malayalis I met online through language apps. Then I found Eli Kutty’s page on Instagram where I learned the basics of Malayalam and she sent me a Malayalam grammar PDF which helped me learn the rest.”
She says that in the beginning she was learning for hours every day, just like during the Covid lockdown, and she had a lot of free time. Whenever she had doubts, she asked her Malayali friends instead of some teachers. In return she helped them with German.
“I never wanted to take part in a language course (one-on-one) because I didn’t want my parents to know that I was learning Malayalam. I actually hid it from my parents. Although my sister found out after six months and then my parents knew,” says Klara.
“The process was quite difficult because I didn’t have a teacher and the PDF was quite old. So my Malayalam these days is not really the spoken Malayalam but the written one because I lacked regular conversations with Malayalis in Malayalam. I think the hardest thing about Malayalam is understanding all the different dialects. I often struggle to understand what people mean when they don’t speak the proper Malayalam that I have learned,” she feels.
Falling in love with Malayalam
During her travels through Kerala, Klara fell completely in love with Malayalam, a language rich in history and spoken by more than 35 million people. Unlike Hindi or Tamil, which are more familiar to foreigners, Malayalam posed a unique challenge with its complicated script and complex phonetics. So she immersed herself in the mission, taking online language classes and practicing relentlessly with native speakers. And yes, her hard work paid off and soon she was fluent in Malayalam.
Klara’s proficiency in Malayalam did not go unnoticed. She started receiving requests from friends and acquaintances in Kerala who were interested in learning German. Klara saw an opportunity to connect her two worlds and decided to teach German using Malayalam as the language of instruction. This innovative approach quickly gained popularity, especially among students who found it easier to learn a new language through their native language.
“I started making videos on learning German through Malayalam because I show Malayalis the connections between German and Malayalam that I found during my learning of Malayalam. I want to make it easier for them to learn German,” says Klara.
Teaching German through Malayalam was not without its challenges. Klara had to develop a plan that bridged the linguistic and cultural gap between German and Malayalam. She created customized lessons that incorporated elements of both cultures, making the learning process engaging and relatable. Her classes often included German cultural anecdotes translated into Malayalam, helping her students understand the nuances of the German language more effectively, even with the help of Malayalam film dialogues.
In addition to teaching languages, Klara has also become a cultural ambassador, promoting mutual respect and understanding between Germany and Kerala, who has several followers on Instagram.
“A memorable experience while learning Malayalam is the reactions of Malayalis every time I start talking to them in Malayalam. They are very surprised and excited, even in the beginning when I couldn’t speak properly, they complimented my Malayalam a lot!” Klara adds.
The impact of Klara’s work
Klara’s creative teaching method has had a great impact on her followers. Many of them have gone on to pursue higher education and careers in Germany, thanks to the language skills they acquired. Her work has also inspired other language enthusiasts to explore unconventional teaching methods that harness the power of cultural connections.
Klara continues to teach German through Malayalam, continually refining her approach and expanding her reach. Her story is an example of the transformative power of language and the incredible opportunities that arise when we embrace diversity.
Now a first-year BBA student in Dusseldorf, Klara’s journey from curious student to admired language teacher is a remarkable story of passion and perseverance. By teaching German through Malayalam, she has not only brought two distant cultures closer together, but also demonstrated that learning languages can be a joyful and enriching experience.