Sawsan Charif spent decades in rooms where words had consequences.
As a United Nations conference interpreter and U.S. State Department translator, she worked in environments where a misplaced word could derail a negotiation, a mistranslation could create a diplomatic incident, and ambiguity was simply not an option. She navigated these environments in Arabic and English, across cultures, industries, and levels of power.
That experience is what she brings to every coaching session.
Before coaching, she led operations at the legal division of City National Bank and served as administrator at several national law firms. She managed full firm operations: HR, corporate contracts, staff leadership, and financial oversight. She was not doing every job — she was leading the people who did.
Today, Sawsan coaches professionals and executives who use English as a second language and are ready to move beyond functional English and into something more: the ability to command a room, own a meeting, and write communications that are read and respected.
She is also the author of 60+ published books, including business English workbooks, ESL graded readers, and specialized vocabulary guides, available worldwide.
Based in the United States. Available to clients worldwide via video.
Teaching Philosophy
I do not teach from textbooks. I teach from experience.
Every professional has different communication gaps. An engineer who can write detailed technical documentation but freezes in client meetings needs different coaching than a manager who is fluent socially but loses authority when presenting to executives.
I start by listening. Then I build a plan that targets exactly what is holding you back. We work on vocabulary, yes. But also on rhythm, tone, cultural calibration, and the invisible rules of professional English that most ESL courses never teach.
The goal is not to sound like a native speaker. The goal is to sound like yourself, but at your absolute best.