The 17-year-old grew up in Bolivia speaking Spanish, before emigrating to Australia at 7, where she had to learn English.
Five years ago, her family moved to New Zealand, where she won the Alliance Francaise de Dunedin French-speaking competition this week.
Tatiana will leave Dunedin tomorrow for two weeks to stay with a French-speaking family in New Caledonia as her prize.
"I'm stoked. I've always loved French, since I started learning it at school. I love the sounds of the language and the food and the culture and just everything about it, really," she said yesterday.
But if it all goes from tres bien to tres mauvais, she has a back-up plan. Tatiana is also studying German and Spanish at school.
Alliance Francaise de Dunedin president David Moir said up to 90 years 9 to 13 pupils entered the New Caledonia Air-sponsored competition every year.
"We hope it will help Tatiana become more proficient in the language, living every day in a French-speaking household, where French is the language of survival."
Anyone with an interest in learning or improving their French was welcome to visit Alliance Francaise de Dunedin in Bond St, Mr Moir said.
