Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures University of Toronto
Today, we are launching a new initiative on the Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures website entitled ‘Where are they now?’ The objective of this initiative is to create a forum or a bridge for German alumni to share their career stories with current students, and for students to ask alumni questions about careers. We kicked off the project in June, by emailing German alumni, asking them if they would be willing to share their career stories with current students of German studies. Response was very positive, with over 15 alumni from a wide variety of careers, inside and outside of academia, indicating their interest in participating.
This project was led by Joan Andersen, as part of her volunteer position as Alumni Ambassador and Executive in Residence. Joan is a German alumna of the University of Toronto, and moved into a career outside of German studies after graduating with a Master’s Degree. Joan conducted a telephone or email interview with each participant with the objective or drafting a 5-8 minute long article profiling his/her career.
We will publish one or two ‘Career Profile’ articles every month which we hope our readers will find informative and maybe even inspirational. We welcome your feedback on this initiative by sending Joan an email at j.andersen.ma@gmail.com
Our first article profiles the career of Michael Kim.
Michael graduated from U of T in 1992 with a major in German; a minor in French. He also speaks Korean and Japanese. After graduation, he took a year off to decide on his future direction and then decided to complete a Master’s of German at McGill University in Montreal where he had always wanted to live. Michael’s first job after school was at a ‘dot.com’ in Toronto where the job required him to be fluent in both German and French, and have a Master’s degree. Within a few months of starting, he was sent to Frankfurt, Germany, to undertake a project for Deutsche Bank. Although he had no real technical computer skills, he ended up using his language skills to build a website for the bank (in German, of course). In the middle of the dot.com bust, Michael received a phone call from Apple who saw his resume online and thought that Michael’s language skills (French, German and Japanese) would be a good fit for a role at Apple. I caught up with Michael at the Apple campus in California where he is a Project Manager.
1. What made you decide to pursue German studies at the U of T?
I was born in Germany but grew up in Toronto. In high school, German and Latin were my best subjects so I decided that in university, I should continue to study the subjects that I was best at. I also had a vague idea of becoming a high school teacher.
2. Describe your current position and job responsibilities?
I translate and adapt Apple software for internationals market. I work in different languages and so having a diverse repertoire of languages is very useful. It’s very interesting to note that most of Apple’s sales are outside of the U.S.
3. How did you come to select this position as your career?
It was not really planned. I saw this as an opportunity to enter into an interesting career in which I could use my language skills.
4. What does a typical day at work for you look like?
I manage many translation projects, attend team meetings and also work with the technical and programming side of things. I had to learn some technical skills to I could understand how to design products that could accommodate different languages and national standards. I’ve even travelled to Germany and France a few times as part of my job. I conduct most of my job in English though.
5. What do you like most about your job?
It is very rewarding to see that the products I work on are being used by the target market in the that market’s language. Many people have a visceral reaction to Apple products and I enjoy knowing I play a small part in that experience. It builds Apple’s brand internationally which is very important, given that most of its sales are outside the English-speaking world.
6. What are some of the challenges that you face on a day-to-day basis?
The biggest challenge initially was my limited technical skills when it comes to things like code or programming, but you can learn these things on the job. I also miss being in Canada.
7. What skills do you possess that make you a good fit for your current job?
My knowledge of the languages of three major markets where Apple does business was my foot in the door. Coming from Toronto and studying languages have definitely equipped me with the skills to interact with people from all over the world.
8. How have your German studies equipped you with the skills you need to do your job?
German is obviously an important language in international business and is one of the most in-demand languages because of the large size of its market. German is actually very challenging to incorporate into software that has been designed in English because of its unique syntax.
9. What are your ultimate career goals?
I am very lucky to work for a great company that offers me growth and gives me the opportunity to learn new skills and contribute in different ways. For me, these are the most important elements in a rewarding career.
10. What do you do in your spare time?
When I was at Trinity College, I was a Choral Scholar and sang for services in the Chapel. I sing in choirs now and naturally, much of our music is in German.
11. What advice do you have for German students who are pursuing their studies with the goal of securing meaningful employment post-graduation?
Be curious about things, keep an open mind and try to learn different things even if they are outside your areas of study or experience. Learning never stops. Don’t get down if you do not know something; most things are learnable, and having gone to University, you know how to ‘learn’.
12. For those readers who want to learn more, how can they contact you?
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsangmin/