East Asian Languages and Cultures

What students have to say about Chinese and Japanese language study

In their own words, here is what some students have to say about their decision to study Chinese and Japanese at Connecticut College:

"Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today yet it is one that very few Americans are able to speak. Sure, Chinese might be a harder language to learn than non-character ones like French or Spanish, but it only makes it that much more rewarding when you are able to speak Chinese at home, or abroad. Thousands of doors open up for you when you have studied it and, you will find, that so much of the world is connected to China and its people in ways you never even imagined! Just make sure you know what to say when people ask you to speak in Chinese, and you’ll get it almost every day." - Lauren Burke, '06

"Traveling to Japan [as a high school student at Saint Johnsbury Academy, [VT] and again in college through the AKP Program (Associated Kyoto Program) I am becoming much more able in my understanding of what Japan 'really is' through mastery of the language. An obsession of something Japanese certainly doesn't hurt to have in studying the language, and nobody at Conn loves Nintendo more than me! Kanji will drive even native Japanese nuts, 'rareru' and 'saseru' will remain a mystery, but once someone grasps Japanese or dreams in Japanese for the first time, it is the wildest experience. Studying Japanese and Japan is a superior mental challenge, for no other country has more critics arguing over it in terms of culture, language pedagogy, and 'wareware nihonjin' - but who really wants to study something where everything is already figured out? Studying Japanese has helped to define me as myself, and it doesn't hurt on that resume [I send ] to Nintendo to have 'Japanese Study: 8 years.' " - David Simpson, '04

"Since embarking upon the study of Chinese language and culture more than two years ago, what I have learned and experienced both here at Connecticut College as well as abroad have profoundly influenced the direction of my life, both academically and in my future professional career. With the knowledge and skills I have gained in the past few years, my education has and will prove to be of utmost value. I am now in an advantageous position to work either domestically or internationally, which vastly enhances the possibilities for my future."
- Jennifer Ryan '03

"I began taking Japanese because I liked foreign languages and I thought it would be beneficial to know a language that very few Americans know. I am now majoring in Japanese as well as Economics and I think it my knowledge of Japanese will help me to get a job with an international business. Also, I love being able to converse with my friends in a language many others cannot understand!"
- Megan Shropshire '03

"While I was in China I not only began to truly understand Chinese culture for the first time, but I also truly began to understand my own culture for the first time. Again, the key to all of this was having the ability to speak Chinese. This was made painfully apparent on one of my last nights in China. While sitting in a restaurant, another expatriate was sitting at a table across from me expounding on all he knew about China and Chinese culture … yet most of the conclusions he drew were completely wrong. It was not that his arguments lacked logic or evidence, it was just simply because he did not speak the language and therefore had no way of really interacting and understanding the culture. I realized had I just been a normal government major without any ability to speak Chinese, I would have been that guy sitting across from me." - Mike Alford, '03

"The many reasons why I have studied and continue to study Japanese could go on for pages, and it might not even be possible to pin down why it is that I study Japanese - In fact, I may not have truly known why it is until after I got back from studying in Japan this past year. I began studying Japanese as a third language because I had originally intended to major in French. Coincidentally in my freshman year, though I took a Japanese history course that was very intriguing,I ended up taking more classes in Japanese history, literature, and other East Asian disciplines. It turned out that by the time I chose my major, I had 3 classes in French versus about 8 in East Asian Studies. The decision wasn't easy, nor was the two years of intensive language study, but studying Japanese ended up being more than I bargained for. I spent a year studying in Kyoto and then three more months interning at an asset management company in Tokyo. For me, studying Japanese hasn't only helped me learn a language and a history, but it has helped me forge relationships and experience different ways of living and learning that I may not have otherwise been able to do. The rewards of studying abroad - regardless of where it may be - have been both plentiful and surprising." - Owen Aoki '03