Bachelor graduate Yukiko Yamakura is finding out how a Glion education prepares students for careers far beyond the world of luxury hospitality.
While it’s true not every BBA graduate goes into hospitality, thanks to the broad range of transferable soft skills students develop during their time at Glion, it’s fair to say that few find themselves at the cutting edge of language translation software.
Having initially taken a path more traveled by hospitality degree holders in securing a role with online travel agent Booking.com, Yukiko Yamakura then got the opportunity to pursue her passion for languages with one of the world’s foremost AI-powered language tool, DeepL.
In her role as Strategic Sales Development Representative (SSDR) on the company’s revenue team in Japan, Yukiko is responsible for new sales business for Japanese enterprise companies. She is discovering how what she learned at Glion and the overall student experience has enabled her to thrive in the role and put her well on the way to realizing her career goals.
Formative years
“My role is all about building relationships, nurturing potential customers and developing the pipeline for the sales team,” says Yukiko. “It also involves collaboration with the marketing department, attending events and conducting webinars. So my hospitality background has been incredibly useful because I already learned how to communicate with customers while at Glion.”
If her achievements so far are anything to go by – receiving DeepL’s Culture Award at the 2023 Company Event in Dresden and being named Top SSDR – Yukiko’s Glion experience appears to have been the perfect preparation.
“Being on campus with people from all over the world was a fantastic experience,” she says. “DeepL’s mission is to remove language barriers and that’s something we all had to do at Glion. But what I also learned was that, although we were all different nationalities from diverse backgrounds, we are all human and, when we worked together, we became a really strong team.
“My time at Glion also enabled me to grow as a person and really broadened my horizons. Before I arrived, I was only really aware of Japanese culture. But living and working with people from all over the world introduced me to so many different perspectives. That’s something which has been incredibly valuable.”
“DeepL’s mission is to remove language barriers and that’s something we all had to do at Glion. But what I also learned was that, although we were all different nationalities from diverse backgrounds, we are all human and, when we worked together, we became a really strong team. My time at Glion also enabled me to grow as a person and really broadened my horizons. Before I arrived, I was only really aware of Japanese culture. But living and working with people from all over the world introduced me to so many different perspectives.”
Yukiko Yamakura
Perfect preparation
The academic program at Glion has been equally beneficial for Yukiko’s career so far, in terms of landing a role after graduation and due to the skillset she developed in the course of her studies.
“The Glion name is renowned throughout the hospitality industry,” she says. “So when I applied to work at Booking.com, people there were well aware of the school’s reputation.
“More importantly, what we learned there was really great preparation for the world of work. For example, the practical arts classes in food preparation, the management theory, the customer services lessons and the more technical elements such as marketing and accounting – it was a truly varied curriculum that has been really helpful. I can honestly say I felt prepared for working in any industry after that.”
While Yukiko has not opted to pursue a traditional hospitality career, she is convinced the hospitality attitude she cultivated while at Glion will be particularly valuable in her chosen professional path.
“The people-oriented mindset you develop when studying hospitality is a genuine asset in any industry where interpersonal relationships are critical to success,” she says. “I also believe the internships made a big difference. Being able to demonstrate experience working with top brands – Mandarin Oriental and Adecco in my case – really enabled me to stand out in a competitive job market.
“Not only that, working in a hotel is incredibly hard work and can be tough mentally too, so having experience in that setting definitely makes you feel like you’re prepared for anything.”
Broad horizons
After a year with Booking.com, Yukiko decided to explore new opportunities and moved to Toronto in Canada, where she worked for an advertising agency. This triggered her interest in marketing, an industry she entered on her return to Japan with HubSpot, the US customer relationship management tool company.
The chance to combine this sales, marketing and IT-related experience with her personal passion for languages in the position at DeepL was therefore too good to pass up.
“This role was incredibly appealing to me because it gave me the opportunity to speak to people from all levels of the corporations I deal with,” she says. “There are many great companies in Japan, but language barriers can prevent them from promoting business growth. It’s rewarding to help Japanese companies grow by removing these obstacles.
“For me, this is almost a dream come true. I have a multi-cultural family with a Japanese-Brazilian father and a half-Korean mother, so from an early age I was exposed to different cultures and have always been fascinated by languages. That’s a passion I have been able to indulge while traveling and during my time at Glion. To get the opportunity to do that in my career as well – at a company that truly values diversity and inclusiveness – is genuinely inspiring.”
The beauty of understanding
Finding common ground and mutual understanding is something Yukiko remembers being an important part of her Glion experience. It is now what drives her current and future career aspirations.
“While studying at Glion, my classmates and I frequently used our second language to speak to each other,” she says. “Even when using your mother tongue, there can be misinterpretations, so trying to communicate in another language requires extra patience. But I always found it so beautiful when we finally understood each other.
“Can we remove political tensions and create a better world by promoting more understanding? I don’t know, but the possibilities are exciting”
“After joining DeepL and seeing what it does, I now wonder what we can achieve if we begin to break down those language barriers. Can we remove political tensions and create a better world by promoting more understanding? I don’t know, but the possibilities are exciting.
“In the longer term, I hope one day to leverage my knowledge of Japanese culture, industry and the language to explore opportunities that would allow me to act as a link between Japan and other countries.”
While it’s a far cry from working in a hotel, Yukiko does not believe a hospitality education should limit graduates in their career choices.
“I always imagined myself working in what is commonly considered the traditional hospitality industry when I was a student,” she says. “However, I believe a Glion education offers students the opportunity to work in many industries and gain valuable experience in other areas too.
“Initially, I experienced a certain degree of worry due to my decision not to pursue a career in hospitality. But I’m now immensely gratified by the path I have chosen. I’m fortunate to have the flexibility to work remotely, in diverse locations and in an industry that ignites my passion. I would gently encourage other hospitality students to embrace an open-minded approach when it comes to their career paths. The future holds many possibilities and the unique experiences gained along the way can shape the next steps in intriguing ways.”
- To discover more about DeepL, visit the website
Photo credit
Main image: gesrey/Getty
AI translate image: Thaweekiet Sriring/Getty
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