ALTS has shaped my professional identity by showing me that language and culture are not abstract skills, but real tools that open international career opportunities.

I chose ALTS because I wanted a degree that would broaden my horizons and give me the option to work overseas, even though I wasn’t fully sure what the career outcome would be.
During the course, I worked on practical and creative projects, including writing a book in German, recreating scenes from Japanese animation, and producing Japanese-language content about Ireland. At the time, I had not expected these experiences to become central to my career.
Today, as a Market Advisor with Enterprise Ireland in Japan, I now switch between English and Japanese daily, navigating cultural nuance in meetings, contracts, and
stakeholder communications. I rely heavily on the language, cultural, and critical- thinking skills developed through ALTS when supporting Irish creative companies entering the Japanese market, from promoting study abroad opportunities in Ireland to Japanese students and institutions, to facilitating collaborations between Irish and Japanese animation studios.
ALTS taught me how to turn language and cultural knowledge into a professional skillset. It has shaped my professional identity by showing me that language and culture are not abstract skills, but real tools that open international career opportunities.

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