Dr Alexandra Kleinlercher joined King’s College London Language Centre in 2020. She completed an MA in Translation and Interpreting (German from/into French and Spanish) at the University of Vienna, Austria (1994), a Certificate in Teaching German as a Foreign Language at the Goethe-Institut, Paris (2003), and a PhD in German Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Paris (2006). She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PCTHE) from Oxford Brookes University (2009). She speaks German, French, English and Spanish.

Alexandra has extensive experience teaching German from beginner to advanced levels (A1–C1), both online and on campus. At King’s, she delivers credit-bearing modules across a range of programmes, including undergraduate degrees, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (DLLC), postgraduate students on the Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) and the PGO programme, as well as courses for the London Business School and the Circle U. European University Alliance. She has also taught tailor-made courses and evening classes for students, staff, and members of the public.

Her responsibilities include conducting student assessments and level placements, designing and leading workshops and taster sessions, and contributing to the setting, delivery, and marking of oral, listening, and written examinations. She has also played a key role in developing resources for the German programme, including sourcing high-quality course books. Since 2025, she has managed the Short Courses in German, overseeing recruitment, mentoring, and induction support for new staff members.

Her academic interests focus on German language pedagogy, curriculum design, and innovation in language teaching, with a particular emphasis on fostering student engagement and progression.

Research, Scholarly projects and Academic Awards

Alexandra’s scholarly project, ‘Making DTP Beginner Classes Matter: Engaging PhD Students from the Start’, focuses on beginner-level language classes within the Doctoral Training Programme (DTP). The project enhances these courses, which centre on everyday communication, by integrating cultural themes, reading, and research-related content. Effective teaching practices and thematically relevant materials are shared across DTP beginner classes in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish (languages offered in 2024-25). This approach will also be extended to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, promoting the use of authentic cultural content even at beginner level.

Her second project explores innovation in vocabulary acquisition in foreign languages. While initially focusing on beginner-level German, it may be extended to other levels and languages. The project is based on research into vocabulary learning and teaching in higher education, recognising that ‘the learning of vocabulary in a “dry” way does not usually lead to a solid anchorage in long-term memory’ (Arda, 2021-22). Its aim is to challenge assumptions about vocabulary learning, implement research-informed strategies in the classroom, and support students in developing independent learning skills.

Academic Publications:

Kleinlercher, A. (2016) ‘Heimito von Doderer in England’, in A. Hölter et al. (eds), Doderer-Gespräche. Schriften der Heimito von Doderer-Gesellschaft, Vol. 7. Königshausen & Neumann, pp. 81-82.

Kleinlercher, A. (2015) ‘Ilse Aichinger’s Novel Die größere Hoffnung in English Translation: A Critique’, in F. Krobb, D. Holmes, and A. McMurtry (eds), Translation Austria. Austrian Studies, Vol. 23. MHRA, pp. 143-157.

Kleinlercher, A (2014) ‘Ilse Aichinger. ‘Behutsam kämpfen’ [book review], in I. Fußl and C. Gürtler (eds), Elfriede Jelinek in the Arena. Austrian Studies, Vol. 22. MHRA, pp. 250-252.

Kleinlercher, A. (2011) ‘Heimito von Doderers angebliche Arisierung einer Wohnung in Wien 1938’ and ‘Die Familie Hasterlik und ihre Beziehung zu Heimito von Doderer – Alexandra Kleinlercher im Gespräch mit Giulia Hine’, in G. Sommer and R. Walter (eds), Doderer, das Kriminelle und der literarische Kriminalroman. Schriften der Heimito von Doderer-Gesellschaft, Vol. 6. Königshausen & Neumann, pp. 592-604 and 585-591.

Kleinlercher, A. (2011) Zwischen Wahrheit und Dichtung: Antisemitismus und Nationalsozialismus bei Heimito von Doderer. Böhlau Verlag [472 pp.]