Malaysian Annual Alumni Dinner
19 May 2008
A talented LJMU languages student has accepted a prestigious position working for gaming giant Nintendo.
Final year Japanese student, Ben Frenchman, will start his job as translator for the company as soon as he graduates and will be moving to Frankfurt, Germany, the headquarters of Nintendo Europe.
His role will involve translating Japanese into English for games and literature produced by the company. He attributes his success to the quality of teaching at LJMU and the year he spent living in Japan, which is a requirement of all languages courses at the University.
Ben said: "The year abroad was great because I was able to put into practice everything I had learnt on my course and my grasp of the language really improved. Going to live in a different country and learning about the people and culture was also a brilliant experience and has given me the confidence to move to Germany for the job with Nintendo. I'm really excited about living there as it will give me the chance to become fluent in another language. I did a GCSE in German so I am hoping it will come back to me."
He continued: "I really recommend taking a language course because, not only do you learn so much about other cultures but it is also a good route to employment. Linguists are in very short supply at the moment, particularly those who are willing to move to other countries."
Academic William Haworth, who is responsible for Japanese Studies at LJMU, said: "Being selected for this position is a real achievement, particularly as Nintendo has given Ben the job before he has even graduated. This clearly demonstrates the high calibre of student he is and we wish him every success in Germany."
