Cristina Tarazona

Cristina Tarazona is a native of Valencia, Spain, where she received her Licenciatura degrees in German and English from the University of Valencia.  After teaching Spanish in Germany for a year and completing her pedagogical certificate, she attended Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she received a Masters of Arts degree in Spanish and German with a concentration in applied linguistics as well as certification in Spanish/English translation. 

Before coming to Oxford College in 2016, Tarazona had more than 15 years' experience teaching Spanish as a foreign language at various universities, high schools and private language academies in Spain, Germany, and the United States. Some of the institutions where she has taught include Emory University, Agnes Scott College, and Georgia State University.  Additionally, she has worked as a freelance translator and has done voice recordings for an Atlanta-based translation company.

Cristina’s main academic interests include sociolinguistics, particularly language contact involving Spanish, second language acquisition, and the intersection between language pedagogy and community engagement. She has co-authored several scholarly articles on the use of virtual language exchanges for linguistic and cross-cultural development. At Oxford College, she has taught a wide range of courses, including elementary and intermediate levels, a Discovery Seminar focused on Spanish in the United States, and experiential offerings such as a travel course to Peru, a theater-focused course, and a medical Spanish internship. Currently, she coordinates the Spanish tutoring program and is working to further develop community engagement activities for Spanish students. Since 2023, she has served as Secretary of the Georgia Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and since 2021, she has been co-chair of Oxford Studies at Oxford College.