Tom Kleiner, second semester student in Japanese Studies. He is pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree, 2-subject programme. Tom’s second subject is Mathematics.
Wieso haben Sie sich damals für Ihr Studienfach entschieden?
Even when I was a child, I found the samurai fascinating. My first brush with the Japanese culture was in a judo club. As a teenager, I learned about the Japanese pop culture, in the form of music and anime, and my fascination with that remote country and its culture increased. This is why I wished to learn more about the language and history of Japan.
An welchen Stellen haben sich die Erwartungen an Ihr Studienfach erfüllt, an welchen nicht?
The fast pace in the language courses came as a surprise. But you get used to it soon enough.
Was macht Ihnen in Ihrem Fach am meisten Spaß?
The thing I enjoy most is grammar, because of its logical and simple structure, as well as language history, because I get very excited about the evolution and changes of word forms.
Was war bisher die größte Herausforderung?
The greatest challenge has been to consistently memorise kanji, i.e. the characters.
Was wollen Sie einmal damit werden?
My goal is to work in an enterprise that collaborates closely with Japanese companies, so that I would be able to travel to Japan on business. I would also like to work directly in Japan.
Welche Tipps geben Sie den Leuten, die auch überlegen, Ihr Fach zu studieren?
Don’t neglect your vocabulary and kanji studies, or it will become really difficult to struggle through your degree course. It is definitely worth it.
