从2002年开始，同济大学国际文化交流学院招收汉语言(经贸方向)本科留学生，2006年7月首届本科生顺利毕业。今年是这些毕业生毕业10周年。为了纪念2006届毕业生毕业10周年, 学院组织2006届的亚瑟同学对班级同学进行了系列访谈。在访谈中同学们回顾了10年前自己在同济大学国际文化交流学院的学习生活，并讲述了毕业以后的发展和感悟。我们将陆续发布2006届同学的访谈录。
娜塔莉亚（Natalia）,俄罗斯人，现居上海，公司经理
Q1: Back in 2002 we were part of the inaugural international BA in Business Chinese class of International School at Tongji University. It goes without saying that there have been immense changes in China and the world since then. As you are answering the questions please keep in mind we are very interested to hear about expectations vs reality at each stage of you academic and professional career and life in relation to China.
One of these areas of change is that there are many times more international students now in China, and many more Chinese students abroad - with the background of this ongoing process of globalisation of university education, let us talk about what brought you to Tongji in the first place - what was your academic background at the time and how did you choose the program and the university.
A1: Back then there weren't so many foreign students coming to China, but originally back home my major was related to Chinese economy therefore I was ready to come to China to practice or if possible to get a degree. We had choice of 3 cities among which I had chosen Shanghai because at that time I believed this city was the fastest developing international city in new China.
Q2: Do you remember your immediate first impressions after your arrived in Shanghai and the school - we know that some of the changes with most impact might be surprising - from food to the weather
A2: Surely, it was a great change in many ways,climate,people, food and culture, but I felt really excited as I have noticed how modern Shanghai was, for example,Pudong airport, highways and cleaning personal with mobile phones. School was big comparing to the campus back home with many Chinese students and teachers ready to help.
Q3: Tell us about your memories of the professors and classes
A3: I recall we had very nice professors. My favorite were Mr.Liu laoshi, and Ms Ye laoshi, always very helpful and friendly. At the beginning I felt classes were a bit too easy as I had studied Chinese for 9months back home. The second year got difficult as we had to start preparing for HSK exam.
Q4: Could you please list the top 5 things you learned from your Tongji classes - and share examples of how some of them might be still useful in your life or career now.
A4: First, I learned the language which of course is the must to work in China and understand China from inside.
Second, I learned Chinese culture which helped to communicate with Chinese customers.
Third, I learned some things related to economics and politics which lets say were different from back home and helped me understand how business works in China.
Fourth, it was also a lesson how to communicate with other foreign students in class and respect their culture. Fifth, practiced for HSK and successfully passed before graduation. HSK is essential when you are looking for job.
Q5: For many of us, being a part of the Tongji class was about being exposed to more than just Chinese culture - we had classmates from different countries and cultures we perhaps had not known much about prior - are there any examples or anecdotes of how this multinational/ multicultural environment was interesting or memorable to you?
A5: Yes, we had a mix of many nationalities in class which was very interesting as I got to understand their culture and finding a way to communicate with my classmates. For example, I was very surprised to see how polite are Japanese students, how hard studying are Korean classmates , and it was hard to believe that African classmates somehow are all relatives.
Q6: What were some of the hurdles you had to overcome during your study and stay in Tongji - feel free to tell us both about objective and subjective ones.
A6: I think I was pretty lucky I had studied in Tongji. As I already had some language background I found it not very difficult, and with teachers help it went really smooth. Most difficult was the HSK because we had to get the highest level 8before graduation.
Q7: If I might take you back to your area of research and your graduation thesis - what were they and could you please comment on them - e.g. if you made predictions for future developments in a certain area, how accurate were they, if you discussed cultural, societal or business matters or practices, how have they evolved since 2002
A7: My thesis was regarding foreign trademark translation into Chinese language and with China welcoming more and more foreign brands this sure became a much deeper and bigger area of practice. Even local Chinese brands started having English names and then again being translated into Chinese language to increase attraction from the local and overseas customers.
Q8: What about your career post-graduation - what have you been doing since and how have you been using your degree and your affiliation to Tongji.
A8: After graduation I started working for children's education (training) company where I had to communicate with Chinese vendors and both with local and foreign customers. After some time I became a general manager and had to manage the whole company. I had learned how to run the business and manage Chinese and foreign employees with the great help of Chinese knowledge I got from Tongji and understanding many other cultures and well as using business related knowledge in Tongji.
Q9: If you could give a piece of non-obvious advice to new students and recent graduates from our school, on both maximising their time in Shanghai and maximising career opportunities, what would that be? Also, both from your personal experience and general impressions what careers are the best fits after graduating from the program?
A9: I guess, studying hard, making more friends no matter local or from other countries to learn the Language and cultures. Participating in international mixers to extend your network. Starting an internship as early as possible to see how business works in China from inside.
Q10: How about opportunity in general for China experts nowadays? Th:e Chinese government is redefining "foreign talent" and entrepreneurship in recent months - any thoughts? What were some of the areas that perhaps were not as open to foreign talent as expected?
A10: Well, it’s still hard for Chinese experts to find a good well paid job, for example, many companies in China would rather hire a few cheap translators than hire a high cost foreigner. Hopefully government can influence the companies to hire more Chinese experts to increase the quality of operations and communications with overseas sector.
Q11: Our major was a combination of language/ cultural and business classes - please discuss briefly how you think both of these areas have evolved in relation to China - how has the international significance of China evolved both through culture and language exchanges and in the world of business
A11: it’s not possible to run a successful business in China without culture and language knowledge. You have to use language to communicate with customers and pay attention to the cultural background at the same time to find a right way to the successful business.