An international linguist and translator is preparing for a new challenge – teaching pre-school children foreign languages.

Leah Maitland has worked for the European Community and at universities in Germany and Britain.

Now she is launching a series of French and German courses for children aged three to five in York when they will pick up foreign words through play and music.

"I like to think of my classes as an opportunity for children to learn languages through having fun,” she said.

She will be holding drop-in taster sessions between 10am and noon at Acomb library on August 28 and Clements Hall on August 29 when parents and their young children can pop in for a taste of her skills.

She plans to start courses at both venues in the second week of September, with French running from 10am to 10.45am and German from 11am to 11.45am.

Leah has a first degree in modern languages, specialising in French and German, and a masters degree in interpretation and translation.

Language gave her a career that enabled her to travel, live in  and understand different cultures and took her to universities in two countries and to the heart of European international co-operation. 

She worked for some years interpreting at the European Community headquarters in Brussels and later spent three years at a Berlin university teaching English. Since returning to the UK, she has taught English to foreign students at the International Pathway College at the University of York and York St John University.