Isabel Sainz-Ezquerra joined King’s College London Language Centre in 2022. She holds a BA (Hons) in English Philology (Anglo-American Literature and Linguistics with Translation) from the University of Valladolid, Spain (1991), a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the same institution (1992), and an MA in Applied Linguistics: Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (1993). She later completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Art History: Twentieth Century at Goldsmiths, University of London (2001), followed by an MA in Visual Cultures/Twentieth-Century Art History from the same institution (2004).

She speaks Spanish and English.

Isabel is a Lecturer in Spanish Language Education at King’s Language Centre, with experience teaching Spanish at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across a wide range of programmes. Her teaching includes post-A-level Spanish within academic departments, where she fosters critical and creative engagement with artistic, cultural, and historical texts alongside the study of pedagogical grammar. She has also designed and taught assessed and non-assessed language modules across all levels of proficiency aligned with the CEFR.

Following her studies, Isabel translated The Strife of Tongues: Fray Luis de León and the Golden Age of Spain by Colin P. Thompson (Cambridge University Press, 1988) and worked as a freelance translator for ARCE Publications in Spain. Her interest in literary criticism, art, and cultural studies led her to undertake further postgraduate study in the UK, specialising in Geographies, Critical and Cultural Theory, and Continental Philosophy.

Isabel contributes actively to curriculum development and assessment practices and is particularly committed to fostering student learning and development through mentoring, constructive feedback, and meaningful learning experiences. In recognition of these contributions, she was nominated for the King’s Education Awards in 2019 and 2022.

Research, Scholarly projects and Academic Awards

Her academic interests span English–Spanish editorial translation and contemporary approaches to foreign language education that position the self, creativity, and reflective practice as central to learning. Since 2024, she collaborates on the Journaling for Life project at King's Language Centre. Her current research explores the role of intonation awareness in Foreign Language Education and its pedagogical implications for learners across different proficiency levels within HE. In 2025, she presented the paper “Enhancing Oral Communication through Intonation awareness for Advanced Learners of Spanish” at Circle U. Multilingualism, Interculturality and Language Lab. held at King´s College London on 2nd & 3rd June.