Dongchen (Helen) Yu, MSc Language and Intercultural Communication

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Prior to starting her studies at the University of Edinburgh, Helen studied philosophy and psychology at undergraduate level at McGill University, Canada. Before coming to Edinburgh, she had studied and lived in Canada for about nine years.

Why did you choose to study at the University of Edinburgh?

I am a person who pursues changes. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, so that I can encounter some new fields, new cultures and learn different knowledge, so as to constantly enrich my understanding of myself and the world. University of Edinburgh is a very inclusive place, which provides projects and opportunities for me to effectively utilize and combine my undergraduate knowledge. Moreover, it allowed me to extend my knowledge to a new field of research.  I think this school can provide me with enough support to explore in a challenging research field.

Why did you choose to study this degree?

Over the past three years, the world has suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we all know the challenges and difficulties. The pressure from education, society, employment, economy, policy and other aspects has been increase some of our confusion and anxiety as students. I am Chinese and have spent half of my life in Chinese culture and the rest in Western culture. There are questions about personal identity, cultural identity and so on that accompany my life. Especially in the era of COVID-19, I have been wanting to know more about the nature of communication between different cultures and my position in this so-called globalized and modernized society. This is a very new and forward-looking programme with strong teaching resources, and it is also a new field that has attracted many scholars to explore internationally during the past decade. I think this degree would contribute to my lifelong research of myself and of the world.

What did you enjoy most about the programme?

In this programme, I was able to find the micro-perspective of the grand proposition of this era and the real motivation behind the thoughts, theories, policies and technologies of this era from the perspective of humanity and against the background of multiculturalism. From the perspective of humanity means to think deeply about the relationship between the self and the others. No matter from the perspective of education or policy making, when looking at some international grand propositions, we started becoming aware of the choice and dignity of different cultures under the intercultural background.

What specific skills did you develop?

In my opinion, questioning. The most useful thing I learned is the importance of questioning. It is our effective interaction with ourselves, others and the outside world, which continuously drives the generation of new cognition, enriches our thinking methods and helps us to make learning become our lifelong project.

What was the most useful thing you learned in your lectures, workshops and tutorials?

In today's uncertain, conflict-torn and conflict-filled global environment, it is valuable to have scholars from different cultural backgrounds, with experts and professors in the academic world face-to-face in equal dialogue. We can discuss common challenges from the perspective of civilization and culture. The young people from different countries and regions and knowledge backgrounds introduced fresh ideas and different perspectives to the class, and had interactive dialogues with professors and scholars, revealing their views on the difficulties that the world is facing and the proposed solutions. The dialogues were real and vivid, which brought us a broad vision, and also showed the depth of thinking and responsibility of contemporary young people.

Why would you recommend the programme to others?

The Language and Intercultural Communication programme cultivates students’ ability to ask questions and also allows us to remain self-examining and reflexive, especially aware of the limitations and systematic biases of human cognition and judgment. Asking questions also keeps us thinking about things beyond ourselves. Today, in fact, we need to be alert to the tendency of intolerance and inhuman culture in the media arena. We also have stereotypes about people of different genders, different places, and different professions. In the age of social media, where information cocoons and algorithms are reinforcing labels and prejudices, groupthink is exacerbating the intensity of intolerance. No one is right all the time. Therefore, in this era, we need to have the courage to admit our ignorance, detect bias, and ask questions.

In what way do you think the degree will contribute to your career?

Learning itself is to expand one's mind, not to seek glory or status. Therefore, this schooling experience contributes to my realization of culture as relative, especially when working in this globalized and modernized world which in most fields, if not all of them, takes place in an intercultural setting. Here the word "relative" contains two meanings. First, each nation and country (and of course many smaller cultural units) has its own cultural roots and cultural inheritance, so it is difficult to have a single standard answer to the development mode of each region. Second, when we sit and meet together, our exchanges and mutual learning processes inspire each other and lead to cooperation.

And for my career, because of this project, I learned to ask questions in the process of intercultural communication events, where the major topics that concern people are discussed, which will keep me fresh and curious about the world. On the one hand, in order to explore a question, I have to read a lot of materials, which encourages me to keep learning and ask new questions in the process of reading. It also means that when I apply that knowledge to my work, whatever I do will be fresher and more in-depth. On the other hand, it is a successful and innovative attempt to transcend the clash of civilizations through language and cultural dialogue, and to find solutions on the basis of "dialogue". That is to say, whatever you learn from this degree would not limit you to a particular narrow field or career, rather it opens up many possibilities for exploration in different fields.

What advice would you give to someone considering studying this programme at Edinburgh?

I think I am an extremely lucky person. I could not have gained anything in this project without the help of all the professors, tutors and my classmates. I also don't think I'm qualified enough of giving detailed advice to people with different backgrounds and experiences. Here I can only say that endless reading and keeping an open mind are essential throughout my learning. More importantly, no matter what, have a healthy physical and mental state. Ask for help when you need it because believe it or not there are plenty of people willing to support you.

What is your current role or occupation?

I am currently working as a copyreader and editor in a Chinese university press.

How did your experience at Edinburgh help you get where you are today?

Like I said, reading was a big part of my schooling experience. The constant questioning and reflecting on various issues, especially the ones that I am not familiar with, is helpful for my role in the workplace. In addition, based on what I learned during my Master's degree, I am still exploring the possibility to expand the idea of dialogue to non-verbal means such as books and texts.

What advice would you have for someone looking to work in your industry?

Read lots and be open-minded!!