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Cultural intermediation

Your learners ask their questions to someone who lives the subject

You are working on a topic. We find a professional who lives it every day, somewhere in the world, and we organise their session, by video call or on site. You receive the preparation pack beforehand and the follow-up pack afterwards.

From primary school to university, every curriculum, every language taught.

Describe my project See how it works

Free quote, no commitment.

"Experiences", "Sharing the planet": the syllabus names the themes, it is up to you to give them a face.

Three situations you will probably recognise.

The subject stays abstract

You have to cover a prescribed topic your learners cannot connect to anything they have lived. The authentic document does half the job, the discussion stalls quickly.

You have neither the network nor the time

Finding a professional abroad, convincing them, fixing a slot across time zones, preparing the group: that is several hours you do not have.

Every expense has to be justified

Your activity budget is tight and is defended on teaching value, not on a nice moment. An outside session that was poorly calibrated, too long or above level, may already have cost you that budget.

How does it work?

This is not a one-off talk. It is a complete teaching sequence built around a real encounter.

Photo, the coffee grower on her finca

One example, to make it concrete

Your B1 group is working on fair trade. We find a coffee grower from a Colombian cooperative. She joins for 50 minutes by video from her finca, answers the questions your learners have prepared, and you receive the preparation pack two weeks before and the follow-up pack the next day.

1

Before

Delivered 15 days ahead

A preparation pack, as an editable PDF, which you can adapt if you wish.

  • Background on the speaker and their occupation
  • Topic vocabulary, calibrated to the group's level
  • Trigger documents
  • Warm-up activities
  • A workshop for learners to prepare their questions
2

During

45 to 60 minutes

The session, by video call or on site. A professional speaking from their work, not from a podium.

  • A presentation anchored in the real: their workplace, their gestures
  • Time for exchange with the group, always planned in
  • Speaking pace adapted to the level you state
  • Technical test a few days before, fallback plan in place
3

After

The next day

A follow-up pack, to turn the encounter into assessable work.

  • Written and spoken production activities
  • A final task, tied to your topic
  • Assessment grid, criteria and descriptors
  • Extensions for the following lessons

The typical timeline

Day 0

You describe your project

Next step

Quote and speaker profile

Following week

Date and format confirmed

Day minus 15

Preparation pack

Session day

The session

Day plus 1

Follow-up pack

Topics

Every topic is possible. Those below are examples, grouped into six broad fields for readability.

Each example comes in three activities, from A1 to C2: the subject does not change, only the pace, the kind of speaking involved and the expected output. These fields match no particular syllabus. Each session is then tied to the thematic grid of your own programme, to its strands or its units.

Photo, field or nature

Environment and resources

What climate figures become when someone observes them in the field.

  • A1 – A2A biologist in the Amazon shows and names what he observes: students complete an illustrated observation sheet.
  • B1 – B2The manager of a recycling cooperative traces the journey of a discarded bottle: the group reconstructs the stages and presents them.
  • C1 – C2A water management engineer sets out a conflict of use over a river: a debate on the trade-offs and an analytical note.
Photo, production or cooking

Food, farming and trade

What is in a plate and in a price, explained by the people who produce them.

  • A1 – A2A chef presents the produce from his market: students build an illustrated recipe and present it orally.
  • B1 – B2A coffee grower breaks down the price of a bag: interview in pairs, then a written report.
  • C1 – C2An agronomist on the food sovereignty of a country that imports its flour: an argued synthesis based on the exchange.
Photo, a workplace

Work, occupations and careers

Occupations told from the inside, with their real days and their constraints.

  • A1 – A2A mountain guide narrates his day in pictures: students reconstruct his schedule and retell it.
  • B1 – B2Someone who became an entrepreneur abroad: the group prepares the interview and then writes her profile.
  • C1 – C2A recruiter who hires young people into their first job: students sit a mock interview, then analyse what worked.
Photo, encounter or portrait

Identities, migration and intercultural life

What is at stake when two cultures meet, work together or translate each other.

  • A1 – A2A secondary student in the partner country films his school day: students compare timetables, meals and break times with their own.
  • B1 – B2An anthropologist on cultural codes at work: role plays of real situations, then a group debrief.
  • C1 – C2An interpreter on what is lost between languages: students compare two translations of the same passage.
Photo, workshop or stage

Arts, creation and heritage

Creation seen from the workshop, the studio or the restoration site.

  • A1 – A2A dancer shows three movements and their meaning: students describe them, then present a dance from their own culture.
  • B1 – B2A video game developer explains how an interactive story is built: the group writes and pitches its own scene.
  • C1 – C2An art restorer on the decisions a retouch involves: a debate on the limits of restoration.
Photo, city or newsroom

Society, news and citizenship

Institutions and the news, described by the people who keep them running.

  • A1 – A2An urban planner comments on the map of her district: students describe theirs and propose a simple improvement.
  • B1 – B2A journalist shows how he verifies a piece of information: the group applies the method to an article of its choice.
  • C1 – C2A content creator on what she posts and what she keeps to herself: a debate on the line between private life and life online.
Your topic is not on the list? That is the most common case. Describe it and we will search.
Does your programme have its own thematic grid, strands or units? State it in your request, and the session and packs will refer to it explicitly.

You state the group's actual level in your request, including when it is mixed. We calibrate the pace, the vocabulary, how long the speaker talks and the type of activity accordingly.

In higher education, the entry point can also be the students' own discipline rather than a language topic: law, international business, environmental science, health, arts, engineering.

Settings covered

Adapted to your setting

Every session is calibrated to the actual audience. We adjust the length, the speaker's pace and the vocabulary of the preparation pack to the level you state, and the final task and form of assessment to what you need learners to produce.

01

Institutions

Primary school Lower secondary Upper secondary International school Alliance française and cultural institute Language school University Higher education college Training centre
02

Programmes and courses

National curricula Baccalauréat IB Cambridge GCSE and A Level AP DELF and DALF DELE Goethe Cambridge English Language degrees and master's programmes Languages for non-specialists Continuing education
03

Levels

A1
A2
B1
B2
C1
C2
Beginner Autonomous

This list is not exhaustive. If your setting is not on it, it still qualifies.

The session is held in the target language, with pace and vocabulary adapted. If the group's level requires it, we provide interpretation during the encounter.

Formats and practicalities

Two formats, and what each one requires on your side.

Video call

Typical length
45 to 60 minutes, exchange time included.
Recommended group size
A single group of up to about thirty participants, where direct exchange stays fluid. Larger formats, a lecture hall or several groups together, are possible provided question time is organised differently, for example with questions collected in advance.
Equipment needed
A stable connection, a projector or screen, speakers, and a room microphone if the group is large. We provide the connection link.
Booking lead time
Three weeks minimum, four to six weeks recommended for a very specific topic.
Geographical reach
Any country, provided a workable shared time slot exists.

On site

Typical length
60 to 90 minutes, workshop format possible over half a day.
Recommended group size
A single group of up to about thirty participants. Larger formats remain possible, with question time organised in advance rather than by raised hands.
Equipment needed
A room, a board, and any equipment specific to the session where relevant: a kitchen, space to move, work tables.
Booking lead time
Six to eight weeks, the time needed to confirm the speaker's availability and travel.
Geographical reach
It depends on where the speaker we find for you is based. On-site sessions are therefore not guaranteed for every topic. We tell you at the proposal stage, without keeping you waiting.

On time zones: slots with Latin America fit easily into a European morning, which is late morning there.

For companies

A team activity that leaves more than a group photo

We organise cultural activities led by professionals in their field. Teams make something with their hands, taste, move or talk with someone from elsewhere. We coordinate the practitioner, the equipment and the run of the session.

Photo, cooking workshop
Photo, dance or movement
Photo, tasting or craft

World cooking workshops

A cook guides the team through a dish, from prep to sharing. Everyone cooks, nobody watches.

Dance introductions

Salsa, cumbia, Afro-Caribbean dances. As a group, no prerequisites and no levels.

Guided tastings

Specialty coffee or cacao, with a live link to the producer during the tasting.

Craft

Ceramics, textiles, basketry. Everyone leaves with what they made.

Intercultural talks

How to work with teams from several cultures without piling up misunderstandings.

Career encounters

A professional from another country talks about their daily work by video, from their workplace.

Typical occasions: an offsite, an onboarding day, a diversity and inclusion week, a wellbeing-at-work initiative, a staff committee event, an end-of-year celebration.

Request a proposal

Ground rules

What we do not do

Four deliberate refusals. They share one reason: without them, the encounter produces nothing in class.

  • 01

    Replace a lesson

    The session fits into your progression, it does not stand in for it.

  • 02

    Provide a speaker in under two weeks

    Finding the right professional and briefing them takes that time.

  • 03

    Run a session with no preparation beforehand

    Without a pack worked through before the lesson, the encounter falls flat.

  • 04

    Work with less than 45 minutes

    Below that, no real exchange time with the group is left.

Describe your project

The more precise your request, the more useful the proposal. We will get back to you with a suggested speaker profile and a quote. Nothing is binding at this stage.

You are
Your details
Preferred period

Pick one day, or two to give a window. Dates less than two weeks away cannot be selected: that is the time needed to find the speaker and prepare the pack.

M T W T F S S

Selected period

No date selected yet.

A window of several days increases the chance of finding the right speaker. The exact slot is then agreed with you.

Your teaching context

We reply with a costed proposal.

Frequently asked questions

Do you work with every type of institution?
Yes, without exception. From primary school to higher education, state and private, in France and abroad. What changes from one setting to another is not the service but its calibration: the length, the complexity of the content, the vocabulary in the pack and the type of task set after the encounter.
Does this suit higher education?
It is a target audience in its own right: languages for specific purposes, languages for non-specialists, applied language degrees and master's programmes, mobility preparation, and subject courses taught in a foreign language. Three concrete differences: the entry point can be the students' discipline rather than a language topic, the demand on content is higher and the speaker is chosen accordingly, and long formats or large groups are possible.
How far in advance should we book?
Three weeks minimum for a video session, four to six weeks if the topic is very specific. Allow six to eight weeks on site, since the speaker's travel needs more notice. This lead time is not a commercial precaution: it covers finding the person, preparing the pack and delivering it fifteen days before the encounter.
How do you find the speaker if the topic is very specific?
We do not start from a catalogue of available people, we start from your topic. The search goes through professional networks in the sector concerned, cooperatives, associations, universities and organisations on the ground. If we find nobody relevant, we tell you and suggest a neighbouring angle rather than an approximate speaker.
Which language is the session held in?
In the target language of your course, with pace and vocabulary adapted to the level you tell us. We brief the speaker on this before the encounter. 
What exactly is in the packs?
The preparation pack contains background on the speaker and their occupation, topic vocabulary calibrated to the level, one or two trigger documents, warm-up activities and a workshop for preparing questions. The follow-up pack contains written and spoken production activities, a final task tied to your topic, an assessment grid with its criteria, and extension work. Both come as a PDF and in an editable format, so you can adapt them.
How much does a session cost?
The price depends on the format, online or on site, on where the speaker is based and on how many groups are involved. Describe your project and you will receive a free, no-commitment quote together with the speaker profile we have in mind.
What happens if the connection fails on the day?
A technical test takes place 48 hours before, with the speaker and with you if you wish. A fallback is always planned: connecting from a second device on a different network, and failing that, moving the session to a nearby date at no extra cost. The preparation pack remains usable either way.
Does it work with an A2 group?
Yes, provided it is calibrated. We shorten the speaker's turns, work on vocabulary beforehand, and prepare the questions in writing before the encounter so that everyone has their sentence ready. The final task stays simple: a short presentation or a guided piece of writing. Below A2, interpretation during the session becomes the right option.
Can we arrange several sessions over a year?
Yes, and it is the most rewarding format pedagogically. We then build a pathway across the year, with topics and speakers that echo each other and packs that build on one another. Scheduling is done in one go at the start of the year, which simplifies budget approval.

Tell us your topic, we will find the person who lives it

Your topic, a professional who practises it, online or on site, with the preparation and follow-up packs.

Describe my project