Christina Latham-Koenig is an author, experienced teacher and speaker, best known for her series of English language teaching books, English File, published by Oxford University Press
Born in London, she studied Classics (Latin and Greek) at university before embarking on a career with the British Council. This first post opened her eyes to the possibility of a career in teaching English as a foreign language and, after initial training at International House in London, she began teaching at International House in Valencia, Spain and in the United Kingdom. She later joined the British Council in Valencia, where she met and worked with Clive Oxenden, and they began to work together on the first English File series in 1995.
Early years: teaching at the British Council in Valencia, Spain
The days of messy whiteboards and overhead projectors—how the technology has evolved since then!
Since then she has co-written all subsequent levels and editions of English File and has given talks and workshops all over the world.
She is also a committed philanthropist, and has been actively involved in educational infrastructure projects in Uganda for the past fifteen years with the NGO Adelante Africa.
Christina giving a talk at the launch party for the fifth edition of English File at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh
Three-question interview
Christina, co-author of the English File series, answers these questions about English Language Teaching, in a short interview.
1. What's your favourite ELT book?
2. What or who has had the biggest impact on ELT in the last 25 years?
3. What do you wish you'd known when you started out in ELT?
Listen up
Christina Latham-Koenig and Kate Chomacki, two of the authors of the series, share how English File was conceived and has developed over nearly 30 years from its humble beginnings to the launch of the much-anticipated fifth edition in 2025. They share their personal stories, motivations and the collaborative process that has enabled the crafting of this global ELT phenomenon.