Interview Series - Insights from Students -

I have a collaborator in Tokyo, and we are working on several projects together. We have known each other for more than 25 years now. During that time, my collaborator has visited me in France many times, and I have also visited Tokyo several times.
Last year, a new joint research project between the French CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) and the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences of UTokyo started, and I have been staying at UTokyo for the past year.

Yes, but we have many French guests visiting the laboratory. For instance, this week, a French professor is organizing a conference at Komaba. That happens quite often.

There are several reasons. First, as I mentioned earlier, I have been collaborating with someone in Japan for over 20 years, and last year a new project started. That’s the official reason.

Yes, the unofficial reason is that I’ve been fascinated by Japan for many years. I’ve been attracted to the idea of staying here longer, to discover more about Japanese civilization, which I find both attractive and mysterious.

About the mystery? Well, now I’m much more familiar with things, and traveling and communicating have become easier. But 30 years ago, when I first encountered Japan, everything was completely different. Japan was fascinating because it was so different—the way of thinking, the language—everything was completely unfamiliar to me.

Oh, no. In our project, mathematics is universal, so communication isn’t really a problem. Moreover, my colleagues are very open-minded and have spent a lot of time abroad, in the US and Europe, so they understand both cultures. They helped me a lot to understand the Japanese way of thinking and communication. However, over time, I’ve progressively discovered many cultural codes—like how to address people and the way respect is shown in communication. That’s where the differences are important. In Japan, you anticipate many things, whereas in European cultures, people tend to be less careful about these subtle aspects.

Yes, definitely.

Well, in principle, that’s true, but we do have some weekly student seminars and research seminars, and usually the speakers give their talks in Japanese. So, it’s helpful to at least catch the structure of the sentences and be able to ask some very basic questions. Of course, they automatically switch to English very quickly because they anticipate my difficulties and don’t want to put extra pressure on me.

Practically, it’s important to understand at least an elementary level of Japanese. However, from my personal point of view, it’s a very attractive language, especially from a linguistic comparative perspective. For instance, I’ve always wondered how a nonphonetic writing system influences the way one thinks and conceptualizes language. Having grown so accustomed to languages that transcribe sounds rather than concepts, I find Japanese quite fascinating in its cognitive approach to language. Studying a completely different language is quite challenging. The grammar is very different, and the writing system is complicated and mysterious.
This adds an extra layer of motivation for me; it feels like solving a puzzle, which I really enjoy.

Of course, while learning Japanese, I try to connect a network of points, linking them together. I believe that learning Japanese is also a logical process.

It’s definitely both. Of course, it’s necessary in daily life, at least to show respect to the people I meet in the correct way. But it’s also a kind of hobby for me to discover foreign languages.

I always meet many colleagues and visit different places, like seminars, and people are very happy when I use at least a few words in Japanese. Even if I can communicate in English, using just a few sentences or expressions in Japanese can show respect to them.

Yes. Before, the Japanese language felt like a kind of “wall” to me. But now, I feel like I can squeeze through a “hole.” It’s like discovering a new country, and there are more and more interesting things that attract me and keep me motivated.

First of all, I believe that using AI and machine translation alongside studying on your own are complementary. Of course, I use ChatGPT to help write emails, and it often gives me surprisingly insightful suggestions. However, I don’t think machine-based tools can fully replace real human interaction.

Regarding online lessons, my opinion has actually changed after experiencing them myself. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I had conversations with my fellow mathematicians, and we talked about how it’s harder to communicate effectively through Zoom compared to in-person interactions, especially in fields like mathematics, where a large blackboard is essential.
However, after joining a Japanese class on Zoom last year, I found that communication was smooth, and the “human-to-human” element was still present. I think online classes are quite appropriate. Group exercises were also conducted smoothly.
Moreover, the class had participants from different departments, countries, and regions, including younger students from France. It was a good example of human interaction, and it was interesting to engage with people from diverse fields and ages. Now, I find it perfectly fine.

 

Yes. Right now, I depend on Google Translate, but I want to become an independent user who doesn’t rely on such tools.