The ninth student is Jin Bo (D3) of the Graduate School of Engineering.
Being an innovative scholar and multilingual
My major in the Ph.D. study is geothermal energy. Mainly doing geothermal reservoir simulation with a computer to better utilize this renewable energy from the underground Earth, which could probably help mitigate global warming. Besides my research study, I have a habit of learning new languages and have spent much time on it. Currently, I have mastered Korean, Chinese, English, and Japanese. In addition, I have spent many years learning Russian and German and making good progress.
There are many practical reasons to learn a new language. As Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”. Each time I acquire a new language skill, I notice that a new door is opened to a new world, which provides a new source of knowledge and opportunities, including meeting new people and getting new ideas. I also noticed that half of the culture is in the language in the communication, which means it is challenging to know the country’s culture without knowing the language. Many things could not be conveyed through translations.
According to my experience, there are two crucial things in language study. Grammar is fundamental and requires accumulating enough vocabulary, approximately 20,000, which usually takes many years to master one language. Therefore, learning a new language can be challenging and time-consuming. However, it could also be exciting, fun, and enjoyable, benefiting people with pride for the rest of their lives.
