Marni R.

Major(s) and Certificate(s): Zoology

Language(s): German, Japanese

Graduation Year: 2008

What motivated you to study this/these languages?

I did a study abroad in Germany in high school, so speak German quite well and wanted to keep up with it in college. For Japanese, my best friend wanted to take it as she was really into Japanese culture, Manga, and Anime, but was nervous about trying something new and intense (and outside her academic focus), so I told her I’d take it with her, even though I wasn’t really interested, because trying new things is what you do in college and I wanted to support her passions. I ended up taking two semesters of it (6 credit hours each!) and thoroughly enjoyed my time! She ended up taking it all the way through her senior year and still enjoys doing volunteer translation of manga online.

My other motivation for taking Japanese was my personal drop policy. Every semester I’d over-register for courses and pick at least one course I was sure I was going to drop, but wanted to give a try because it sounded interesting.

Every semester I would end up dropping one course, and it was never the one I thought I would! I could tell after the first class if it was going to be my drop class and I was so sure Japanese was going to be it, but it was so much fun and I’m still loving my language ability (for the record, I ended up dropping “History of Science” that semester). This is also how I ended up taking a dairy cattle husbandry course but that’s another story.

What do you remember about your UW language classes? How were they different from other classes you took?

Japanese class was the hardest and most fun class I took outside my major at UW. The professors and TA’s were engaging, silly, and motivated by the love of the language. It was a lot like being a little kid again, learning to communicate and paring down the process to it’s basics. I got to spend a few hours every day engaging a different part of my brain to do something brand new and get a little silly. It was so good for my mental health too, as it tuned me into the world in a unique way. It was also intense, for Japanese it was twice a day 3x a week and once a day on the off days, but that was necessary to really get going in the language. It’s the only class I ever prepared for over the summer. I used to go to the laundromat and do flashcards of hiragana and katakana the summer before Japanese to get ready. I was so excited.

I only ever knew my classmates by their last names and only ever spoke to them in Japanese too. So when we’d run into each other outside of class we would, naturally, only engage in the limited Japanese we knew. We’d still end up having a lot of fun and try and find ways to communicate. It was a strange, unspoken rule we’d do this all in Japanese. Later when we found out each others’ first names, we’d all cringe as it felt so personal, as it is in Japan, to call someone by their first name. To this day, I refer to some of my former classmates by their last names, as that’s what feels right.

Japanese class felt like the most collaborative class I’d taken. We were all in it together to learn and grow and communicate, so there was a camaraderie there that was really unique to a language learning course.

How valuable were your out-of-classroom experiences? How did they add to your undergraduate experience/coursework?

I’m still facebook friends with my Japanese TA’s and have fond memories of them. When I went to Japan for a vacation, I contacted them to try and meet up and they remembered me too. I’ve used my Japanese and German to be an area representative for YFU where I counseled students studying abroad and living in St. Louis. I also studied abroad with YFU so this was a great way to give back.

Japanese was one of the hardest courses I took, but one of the most rewarding. It connected me with people I would have otherwise never had the occasion to interact with in a very personal way, and expanded the scope of who I knew on campus and who I became friends with. It opened me up to join Anime Club and still has me interested in Japan and it’s culture and language.

I think learning a language concurrent with my science classes taught me how to make connections in a unique way. Science is a lot about finding how puzzle pieces fit together to work, and language is similar.

What have you done in a professional capacity since graduating from UW-Madison?

I’ve worked at various scientific and biotech companies. Three of which have Germany headquarters or are German based. I’ve been in sales or business development throughout that time.

What are ways, either expected or unexpected, that your language study has benefited you in your career?

My fluency in German has impressed and confused many a hiring manager. In my earlier career, I’d often get asked how I was such a good speaker considering my age, so it was a way to impress and stand out for hiring. It’s also allowed me to have a better relationship with my European contingencies for all my companies. Being multi-lingual immediately allows me to make friends across many barriers.

Having many language experiences in my life also makes me more adept at picking up new languages, so customers and friends alike are motivated and excited to teach me and I’m equally motivated and excited to learn. This has lead to all sorts of new professional and personal connections and friendships, as being able to share a language and showing an interest and inclination is a great way to show care and effort towards furthering a relationship. It’s a universal aspect that if someone is trying to communicate with your native tongue, they’re working hard reaching out a hand in connection. So my language proficiency is one of my favorite mechanisms for extending that hand. Also it’s just plain fun to learn! I like to learn a bit of whatever language is spoken wherever I go in my travels. I don’t know if I would have had that courage without my experience at UW.

Unexpectedly, another big benefit of my language study is my patience with my children’s language development. Everyone was patient with me as I learned a new language, and I’m extra patient with my toddlers as they try to communicate. If I don’t understand the words, we will act out the words, point to things, or ask to describe it in a different way. I would not have this level of patience and mental flexibility if it wasn’t for those that were patient and flexible with me.

How have you maintained or improved your language(s) since graduation?

I work hard to practice my German when possible and try to expose myself to Japanese minimally, but it’s hard. When the opportunity arises to practice or anything similar, I take it gladly. I’ve also gotten a Mango subscription from the library and work on a few skills every now and again, but I think there will be a bit more time for that when I don’t have two small kiddos at home.

What advice do you have for students who are studying language(s) about how to incorporate their interests and skills into their future goals?

Don’t.
Don’t work on it, focus on the joy of the learning. If you stay attuned to those things you love and love to learn, the skills will develop and those skills are universal. All the benefits of learning a language come back to you in many forms, not just the language itself. Patience, drive, focus, silliness, and above all curiosity, are skills that apply to every type of goal in life. There is no need to align them with anything specific, they’re part of being a complete and thriving human. Even if you never use the language again, I guarantee, your life and experience on this earth will be enriched greatly because of it.
Enjoy the process, there aren’t many times in your life you will get to do this kind of thing again at such a fun place as UW. It’s truly a magical place to do something so daring and fun. Don’t ruin it by trying to make it about being a grown up… you’ll have the rest of your life to adult. For now, live up the joy of learning something new and exciting in one of the best places on earth.