Since the first week of my internship, I have been welcomed with open arms by my co-workers, but I have found some difficulties integrating into the workplace. Even though most of the people at the company have a good understanding of English, the language barrier continues to be the most challenging part of adapting to the new workplace. This manifests itself most frequently in company meetings, where I am reliant on an AI-powered live translator that seemingly often makes mistakes and is more than a few seconds behind. When it is my turn to present what I have been working on, I know that my co-workers are interested in the work that I have been doing, but struggle to follow the slides or tables that I prepared. Most importantly, I believe that this affects the personal relationships that I am able to have. During lunch, I find myself not talking very often, and when I do talk, one of my co-workers, who completed their undergraduate degree in London, usually has to translate what I say for the rest of the company. Being reliant on translation apps or others has been a major bottleneck on my integration into the workplace.
Beyond language, there are the social norms that are even more important to follow in the office. There are many social cues that I have learned to follow, such as supporting your arm when shaking hands, and receiving papers or anything presented to me with two hands. I always feel uncertain if I have missed one of the gestures, or if I did something that I was not supposed to. I understand that many people would give me leeway because I am a foreigner, but in my opinion it is my responsibility to adjust to the norms of the environment that I am in. In the workplace, this creates hesitancy when I have to introduce myself to new people, share documents or present.
Outside of the workplace, I have found difficulty in adapting to how fast everything moves. In Korea there is a phrase “pali-pali” that roughly translates to “hurry hurry” in English. Because there are so many people in the city, there is an expectation of things to be done quickly so everyone else can be on time for what they need to do. When I order something at the cafe, I often feel like there are people waiting over my shoulder waiting for me to be done, or on the bus, if it takes too long to tap off, I feel like I am inconveniencing everyone else trying to get to their office or go home. I grew up in one of the largest cities in the US, so I am used to fast paced city life, but compared to what I have experienced here, life in America feels significantly more laid back and slow paced. Also, I found that I have had to be very careful of noise. Even though the city has both more people and has a higher population density than New York City, everything from the streets, restaurants, to the buses and trains, are shockingly quiet. When going out in groups, I have constantly been mindful of how loud we are being, to avoid sticking out and upsetting those around us. It has also been a challenge to do many things by myself. When I first arrived here I was very self-conscious about not fitting in and what people would think of me if I made a mistake, so I would only do things with other people in the program. Sometimes I still think about this, but I have been challenging myself to do activities and visit places by myself, making me more and more comfortable with being alone.
When I come back home to the US, I believe that all of these experiences will help me be prepared for any workplace environment that I find myself in, and the living skills will allow me to be more comfortable in any location that I choose to settle down in. In the workplace, if I am able to learn to adhere to the social norms of a completely different country I feel like I will have developed a sense of adaptability that will allow me to quickly adjust to whatever challenges I find myself facing in the workplace. Along with this, living in a city all by myself, thousands of miles away from home, where I do not speak the language is most likely more challenging than any move that I would have to make between two American cities. I believe that by the time my internship is over, I will have challenged myself so much that I will be willing and prepared to take on more responsibilities and challenges in the future.