Languages Matter: Why we learn German (Steven Bao, German 202)                       

Submitted by Michael Neininger on
Steven Bao

As an international student, I am often asked by my friends and families what the point is for me to learn German in the US. To be honest, I never considered majoring in German when I entered UW. I started learning German simply because I was a soccer fan of FC Bayern Munich and wanted to learn some more about German soccer and German culture. However, as time went by, I found a connection between German and Human-Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE), the major that I have always wanted to study in. I have found there are many problems existing in the interactions between German and other cultures. These problems are also what HCDE are focusing on since it is human-centered. Learning German enables me to see the differences between cultures and HCDE teaches me how to solve the problems brought by the differences. Therefore, I am now planning myself to double major in both German and HCDE. And as Germany is a land famous for technology and engineering, I am looking forward to learning or even working in Germany in the future.

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