Learning Japanese as an Adult: Mark's Speak! Story

“Learning Japanese feels like expanding my mind—it makes me see the world differently.“

— Mark Florian, UVA Professor and Spanish Student

Our Interview with Mark

Mark, speaking in Japanese with his teacher, Yukari.

There’s something special about a weekly ritual that blends curiosity, challenge, and connection—and for Mark Floryan, that ritual has been his Friday Japanese lessons at Speak! For the past two years, this University of Virginia Computer Science professor has been steadily building not just language skills, but confidence, cultural insight, and a whole new way of thinking about the world.

What began as a personal connection to the language has grown into a deeply rewarding journey—one that now shapes his travels, his teaching, and even his long-term vision of connecting computer science students with immersive experiences in Japan. We’ve loved watching Mark and his instructor Yukari in action each week, where thoughtful conversation, persistence, and plenty of laughter come together in a truly human learning experience.

Read on to see what’s possible when language learning becomes part of your life—not just your to-do list.

Tell us a little about yourself, Mark, by way of introduction.

I'm Mark! I am a Computer Scientist at UVa who has lived in CVille for 13 years. I teach UVa students about computer programming, algorithms, theoretical computer science, video game design, and things like that. I was a game developer and graduate student in Massachusetts before moving back to Cville in 2013. I like games, puzzles, sports (played a lot of baseball / softball growing up), skiing, and swimming. My wife Maya and I both went to UVa as undergraduates from 2004-2008 and we have two young kiddos now.

What first drew you to Japanese? What are your long-term goals?

When I was younger I wasn't that interested in learning a language (sorry!). I was first drawn to Japanese by family connections, and I did some self-study off and on because I was motivated to better communicate with them. We visited Japan several times and it was fun to start learning how to communicate while visiting.

After I started learning a bit of Japanese / visited the country, I started really enjoying the language and became more motivated to learn more. The culture is so interesting. I love how the way the language and culture works is SO different from English. This makes learning Japanese a way to almost expand my mind and makes me look at things in the world in a different way, which is really neat.

In terms of longer term goals: There is a pretty well known connection between Computer Science and Japanese. Many of my students are interested in or are actively studying Japanese. There is something about the two subjects that works well together in people's brains I think. One of my dreams is to improve my Japanese to a level where I can start a study abroad program in which Computer Science students come to Japan to work on large software projects and also immerse themselves / learn about Japanese culture.

What have you found most interesting, surprising or rewarding thus far?

The most surprising thing, I think, so far has been how much the lessons at SPEAK! have raised my confidence. I went in assuming that I would be virtually incapable of holding a conversation for more than a few minutes. But, to my surprise I have been able to understand a lot more than I realized. Speaking is still difficult but I have been able to mostly get my thoughts across (albeit not very eloquently most of the time). Some weeks I come home to my wife Maya and I say things like "My teacher just talks to me and I just understand what she is saying!". It seems obvious but it is a really cool feeling when you start understanding and stop translating into English in your head all the time.

Learning Japanese has definitely been a roller-coaster ride, but my lessons at SPEAK! almost always remind me that I know more than I realize, that I am making progress, and that I can do it if I keep putting in the effort. My family and I are going to Japan this summer and I feel much more confident to speak to people now because I feel confident I can navigate a conversation even if I cannot understand everything perfectly.

What do you enjoy most about working with Yukari?

Yukari is so kind and patient. She never makes me feel like my Japanese is bad (even though it is!) and always corrects me in a constructive way. When I first started the lessons, I told her that I wanted my lessons to be 100% in Japanese (or as close to it as possible) so that I could practice listening and speaking as much as possible. She has been willing to do this which has been great. When I don't know a word, for example, she will explain what that word is in Japanese using words I do already know. This kind of thing has been hugely beneficial, because you cannot get that kind of instruction, listening practice, etc. using online apps or videos.

I also really like how Yukari mixes in a lot of different modes of learning. We spend time doing textbook style learning, but we also spend time talking about our week or what we are interested in. We always read a news story every week which is topical and works in culture or current events. I really like the variety.

Because we are around the same age and live in the same town, it is easier to find common ground in conversation. We both have two kids around the same age so we can spend time talking about what they are up to, or we can talk about our favorite restaurants around town, or other things like that. I really appreciate having an instructor who is so easy to work with and is so patient with me during our lessons.

As a computer science professor, I’d think online lessons would be your go-to! What do you prefer about coming to our downtown center for in-person lessons?

I actually use several different modes / tools for learning Japanese since the language is so complex. I use flashcard apps to study vocabulary and kanji (the written characters), read books (simple ones), and watch shows / youtube. Before starting at SPEAK! though, I realized that practicing speaking and listening live with a real person were the parts of my learning that were SORELY missing. SPEAK! filled that gap in my learning perfectly. I still have a LONG way to go, but my listening and speaking have improved dramatically. I have been able to go from barely functional to being able to read stories, play games, or watch simple shows in Japanese which has felt really awesome!

You’ve been able to get support from University of Virginia for your Japanese learning through your education benefits. Would you recommend other employees take advantage of this benefit?

I would 100% recommend that UVa employees consider using their education benefit for language lessons at SPEAK!. The process is very easy (you just submit a form in UVA Workday), and the folks at SPEAK! work with you to help make the process seamless. I have been mentioning this benefit to pretty much all of my colleagues at work because of how much I have enjoyed it. If you have any goals in your professional career that involve language, then it is an absolute no-brainer.

How would you describe your Speak! experience to others unfamiliar with us?

Speak! is SO convenient. They are located right here in town at the downtown mall, and have a really nice space above the Bradbury Cafe. There is coffee (that's right, free coffee!) and nice rooms where you can sit with your instructor and chat / learn.

I'll confess that I was really nervous for my first lesson, but my instructor Yukari's approach was to meet me where I was in my language learning journey. She asked me how much homework I could handle, what aspects (listening, reading, kanji, etc.) I wanted to focus on improving, and really tailored the lessons to my ability, time constraints, etc.

How would you describe your Speak! experience in three words?

Challenging. Fun. Rewarding.

Any advice for someone learning a new language as an adult?

There is a somewhat famous quote that goes like this: "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second-best time is right now". I think language learning is the same. The best time to start learning a new language is 10,15,20 years ago, but the second best time is right now! If you want to do it, just start! Make a habit of doing even just a little bit every single day and don't give up!