INTERNATIONAL CHAMELEON
International Chameleon
How did we meet and how did we form this business?
Shortly after Ellen relocated to Pittsburgh, we met at the International Women's Association of Pittsburgh. Ellen hired me (Michelle) as an English Instructor to improve her American English business language skills. Together we explored the English language, American idioms, and the similarities and differences between life in the U.S. and in Germany. We both discovered that we not only learned a lot about the other's country, but we found out new things about our own country and language. Ellen joined my workshop feelshome and continued to learn more and more about American life. Once Ellen started teaching German and Intercultural Communication, she realized that she had a lot to offer to foreigners working for or with German companies. As we compared our experiences, we saw that, together, both professionally and personally, we could help ease the challenges of living and/or working in another culture.
Michelle Dreyfuss
Founder of International Chameleon
Founder of Excellent Language Solutions
My journey in international cultural exchange began when I was twelve years old and moved with my family from my country of origin, the United States, to France. Ever since returning to the USA six years later, I have been excited to welcome others to this country. My extensive traveling and my own ex-pat experience has made me particularly sensitive to the adjustments one needs to make when living in another country.
Ten years ago I had the opportunity to embrace my passion for teaching others about life in the United States. Through global language companies, I have taught English to dozens of trailing spouses and children of executives who have been transferred to the U.S. Having done this work for many years, I am very familiar with the challenges as well as the benefits of living in another country.
For the last five years I have run a book group for international women that examines and explores important, fascinating, and funny aspects of American life and of American. Helping these families learn English and adjust to life in the US has been extremely rewarding, interesting, and educational.
EDUCATION
B.A., University of Michigan
M.H.S.A., University of Michigan
American English native speaker, fluent in French.
Ellen Marquardt
President of Marquardt Language Design, LLC
Founder of International Chameleon
Founder of Excellent Language Solutions
During my professional career as a project manager, a research associate, a COO and consultant, and as an expert for communication, language, and program development in Germany, I often worked on international teams. It was a wonderful learning experience to work on teams consisting of Americans and Europeans. Each time I worked with someone new, I gained new skills and improved my cultural awareness.
In 2015, I became a volunteer in the Library of Cologne’s new program, Sprachraum (Language Area). Through this program, I taught German to refugees and helped them to understand more about German culture. For the first time, I really started to understand the challenges and difficulties of living in another country, far away from home. Just one year later, in 2016, I, myself, became an expat.
Together with my husband, I moved to Pittsburgh and quickly started work as a German Instructor and Intercultural Consultant for executives and corporate employees. Customized language teaching, language program development, and intercultural communication is my passion. I learn so much from the different corporations and the students about their languages and countries. I truly love it!
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, University of Siegen, Germany
Sociology, Applied Linguistics (German and English), Psychology
Master´s Degree of Arts (Magistra Artium), University of Siegen
Sociology, Applied Linguistics (German and English), Psychology
German native speaker, American English
Applied Linguistics included:
German as a second language
Intercultural communication
Rhetoric
Sociology included:
Intercultural studies USA - Germany
Psychology included:
Learning and motivation
additional:
German, Philosophy, Philipps-Universität Marburg | one year
Macroeconomics, Wilhelms-Universität Münster | two years
Architecture, Universität Siegen | three years
WORK HISTORY
Family Hospice, Pittsburgh, PA
Public Relations
Global Lt., Pittsburgh, PA
English Language Instructor
CORE Languages, Pittsburgh, PA
English Language Instructor
CARTUS, Pittsburgh, PA
English Language Instructor
IOR Relocation Services, Pittsburgh, PA
Destination Services Consultant
Independent English Language Instructor, Pittsburgh, PA
International Chameleon
Founder and Owner
English and German Instruction and Intercultural Workshops for Expats
Consortium for International Languages and Intercultural Consulting
Founder
WORK HISTORY GERMANY
Charité-University Medicine Berlin in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University, USA
Germany, 3 years
Project Manager and Research Associate
teamEXPERTE.de, Cologne, Germany, 7 years
COO
ellenmarquardt.de, Germany, Entrepreneur, until now
Founder and Owner, Editor
WORK HISTORY USA
Editor:
ellenmarquardt.de, USA and Germany
Founder and Owner
Cooperation with Domrauschen, Advertisment Agency, Cologne, Germany
German Instructor and Intercultural Consultant
Intercultural Communications, Inc.
ELT (Executive Language Training)
Independent German Language Instructor, Pittsburgh, PA
International Chameleon
Founder, Brand of Marquardt Language Design, LLC
English and German Instruction and Intercultural Consulting for Executives
Intercultural Workshops for Expats
Consortium for International Languages and Intercultural Consulting
Founder, Brand of Marquardt Language Design, LLC
Consortium for International Languages and Intercultural Consulting: Excellent Language Solutions
A cooperation of:
Marquardt Language Design, LLC & Intercultural Communications, Inc.
Cynthia Lennox
President of Intercultural Communications, Inc.
Founder of Excellent Language Solutions
My professional journey began with teaching English to Soviet refugees who had relinquished outstanding careers as lawyers, doctors, musicians and scholars to seek freedom in a new land. Not only were these interactions personally and professionally rewarding, but they also awakened in me a deep interest in seeking to understand the infinite and intricate layers of culture and its impact on human interactions and relationships.
After seven years supporting refugees from a wide variety of backgrounds, I became an English instructor at Bayer Corporation, where I assisted senior executives, their partners
and children move from surviving to thriving in the American culture through enhancing their communication skills and moving toward multiculturalism. While continuing my work with Bayer Corporation, I founded Intercultural Communication, Inc., to enable my instructors and myself to provide similar services to many other corporations and health service organizations.
From neurosurgeons and cardiovascular surgeons to chief executive officers and senior vice presidents, I have learned the English language and cross-cultural communication challenges they and their families face during their international experiences. From my over twenty years of experience as a full-time faculty member at Duquesne University, I have learned best practices in language instruction and multi-cultural training for cultural awareness and understanding. My passion is to share this understanding with my students as they simultaneously educate me in new cultural and language differences.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, Washington & Jefferson College
French and English
Certification in Secondary Education in English and K-12 Certification in French
Master´s Degree of Arts, Carnegie Mellon University
English, Linguistics, and Curriculum Development
WORK HISTORY
Intercultural Communications, Inc. 1995- present
Founder and Owner, Language instruction, cross-cultural training
Assistant professor, Duquesne University 2001 – present
English Instructor, Cross-Cultural Instructor, Learning Technology Coordinator, Speaking-Listening Curriculum Coordinator
Bayer Corporation 1987-2001
English Instructor and Intercultural Consultant for Executives
Allegheny Intermediate Unit 1980 - 1987
English Instructor for Visiting Scholars, Students, and Refugees
Consortium for International Languages and Intercultural Consulting
Founder
About Intercultural Communications, Inc.
Intercultural Communications, Inc. is a customer-oriented, woman-owned business. Our mission is to assist native and nonnative professionals, employees, and their families to improve their performance by enhancing their communication skills in English and modern languages. As an integral element in this development process, we are strongly dedicated to helping Americans and nonnative speakers of English function more effectively through deepening their understanding of the business, professional and social cultures of the United States and other countries. To attain this outcome, Intercultural Communications, Inc. employs experienced instructors holding advanced degrees in English as a Second Language or foreign languages.
Intercultural Communications, Inc. has assisted nonnative professionals, employees, spouses and children to improve their communication skills and enhance their cultural understanding at large corporations including Bayer Corporation, Marconi Corporation, Traco, Hitachi Corporation, CONSOL, Lanxess Corporation, Mitushishi, Marcegaglia USA, Mineteck America, Tyk America, Inc., United States Steel Corporation, Wheeling-Nisshin, UPMC, and West Penn-Allegheny General Health Systems. These services have included helping clients improve their oral communications skills, compose business correspondence and reports, develop professional presentations for national and international conferences, and prepare professional papers for publication.