My Tenth Year in IT: Bridging Cultures and Building Connections

As I enter my tenth year working in IT, I'm still caught off guard when people ask, “What exactly do you do?” Friends often joke that I’m one of the few graduates of the Faculty of International Relations of Belarusian State University who managed to stay in his field while working in IT. But, despite this, the question remains tricky to answer.

For those who don’t know me, I’m Aryan. My academic background is in East Asian studies, with a specialization in Korean language and culture, as well as international relations. My journey into IT coincided with my work at the Department of Linguistics and Country Studies of the East at BSU, where I taught Korean and Persian languages, alongside courses in Korean and Iranian studies. I even led a Korean language elective at Minsk Gymnasium №12 at the request of the South Korean Embassy in Belarus. Yet, calling it a “journey” feels a bit dramatic—it was more like a leisurely stroll, as I didn’t venture far from my core interests. I dabbled in projects like localizing computer games and translating/interpreting for the Ministry of Communications and Informatization during negotiations with Korean companies and the World Bank regarding e-commerce. But these were mostly side projects, not a full commitment.

My true journey into IT began in 2015. A colleague, Kirill Masharski , suggested I replace him at a Korean company as he was leaving for studies in Korea. Initially, the company was hesitant — they were hoping to hire a female lecturer. But I bided my time, knowing that most suitable candidates were either already employed, uninterested in teaching, or had left the country. Finally, in August, Maryna Buracheuskaya , the HR Director at Softeq Flash Solutions (later rebranded as SK hynix memory solutions Eastern Europe), reached out. After an engaging interview with Maryna and Natalia Ryzhenkova , I signed a service contract. On September 9, 2015, I walked into a meeting room for my first class. And that’s where my journey really began. From then on, I was called “선생님” (seonsaengnim), the Korean word for “teacher,” by many.

At first, teaching a technical audience felt daunting. I wondered, “Will they even be interested?” But their curiosity and the depth of their questions quickly reassured me that we were off to a strong start. When Maryna went on maternity leave, I transitioned to working with Irina Kukharchyk . During the first three years, I taught Korean language and culture, translated documents, and helped HR team led by Maryna and later by Victoriya Malinovskaya to organize Korea-related events spending a lot of time before and after classes in their office. While some students struggled to balance learning Korean with work and family commitments, others persevered—like Alexander Puchkov , Ihar Kudrautsau , Alexander Vasko , and Veronica Kaptur . One student, Anna Udovichenko , became so passionate that she went on to study Korean at BSU. Imagine my surprise when, in my first lecture that September, I spotted a familiar face among the students! It felt surreal but also heartwarming to see her commitment. But that’s another story.

In December 2017, I finally mustered the courage to ask Sergei Musin , “Do you need someone on your team with Korean language skills?” He supported the idea, but it took another six months of discussions with Timour Khachtchevatsky , who was rather sceptical, and the Korean management to get approval for a 0.25 FTE (full-time equivalent) position. Finally, on July 4, 2018, I officially joined as a consultant, receiving a contract signed by Chris Howard . By then, I already felt like part of the team—familiar with the work, the events, and the colleagues. I think I was the only employee who didn’t get an office tour from Marina Kondrashonok , and I’m still waiting for it! 😊

This new role coincided with significant changes: we rebranded as SK hynix Memory Solutions Eastern Europe and moved into a new office on Nemiga. On my first day, I found myself seated next to Professor Alexander Ivaniuk ( Александр Иванюк ) , which turned out to be a great move. Sergei Musin quickly assigned me the task of translating an article from a scientific journal for the Advanced Algorithms team. No warm-up, just straight to the deep end. Luckily, Professor A. Ivaniuk was there to guide me through the tricky technical details, for which I’m deeply grateful. For the first six months, translating technical documents felt like “shooting in the dark.” I understood the words, the grammar, the sentences—but somehow, the whole thing didn’t make sense.

As my role evolved, so did my responsibilities. I began working on technical documentation, providing interpretation at key events like the opening of our new office and the opening of the laboratory at BSUIR. I also assisted with cross-cultural communication and gave spontaneous city tours to 장세화 and Fan Zhang, PhD and other colleagues from the Korean and US teams. Occasionally, I even found myself playing timekeeper during Dmitry Zelenyak ’s team meetings, managing discussions and keeping us on track, and even designing greeting cards and decorations for Korean holidays. I often joke that I became a “jack of all trades.”

One of the highlights of my career was a trip to South Korea, where I accompanied our white box testing team. Preparing for this trip, I received brilliant lectures from Valentin Korotky-Adamenko (Valdas), an incredible person with multiple degrees, who in his explanations linked NAND technology to Buddhist principles and ancient libraries to make the content more understandable for someone without a technical background. I also received a crash course in technical knowledge from Sergei Musin before the trip, which as usual was far from beginner-friendly 😊

Our trip to Korea was intense. Some of us stayed for a week, others for a month. We had a packed schedule filled with training sessions and translations to handle. The most challenging part, though, was navigating the cultural differences that arose during interactions. There were moments when I had to mediate, along with Konstantin Pachuev , to smooth things over. It’s important to remember that what’s considered normal in one culture might be inappropriate in another — a topic I later discussed in depth with Seung-Pil (Phil) Shin and Senior Vice President Jaesung (Jason) Lee, who was in charge of Minsk office at the time.

Despite the challenges, the trip was a success. The positive feedback from Valdas and Sergey Glebov convinced Timour that the opportunity had been well worth it.

Over time, the Advanced Algorithms team expanded and split into sub-teams. I found myself in the Research and Education sub-team, working closely with Professor A. Ivaniuk, Siarhei Zalivaka, PhD and Katsiaryna Salavei . Professor A. Ivaniuk showed an exceptional ability to simplify complex concepts, which greatly helped my technical understanding and teaching. I also enjoyed our morning tea sessions with Professor A. Ivaniuk, Pavel Prudnikau and Siarhei, which we jokingly referred to as “sync-ups.”

At times, I felt like a front-line soldier delivering supplies, with teams waiting for my translations, such as the new architecture documentation for Dmitry Pinchukov ’s team. The same feeling arose during the SAP and 1C integration project, where I worked alongside Elena Karunnaya , Olga Zui , and Oksana Gnidenko from June 2020 to April 2021.

n 2020, our office was tasked with delivering lectures on SK hynix social values. All the materials were in Korean, and KyungTaek Kim (KT), our Technical Director, confidently said, “Only Aryan can handle this.” It turned out to be one of the most diverse translation projects of my career, covering topics ranging from economic indicators and CSR initiatives to cutting-edge technology and ecology. The task was completed ahead of schedule, and even more employees attended the lectures than expected. When I take on a task, I aim for excellence. It doesn’t always pay off, but at least I know I gave it my best.

Around the same time, a company-wide competition invited employees to share their vision for SK hynix’s future. I’m not sure how many people from our Minsk office participated, but Sergei Musin and I were among the lucky winners. Our prize? An invitation to an online tea party with Mr. Seok-Hee Lee , the CEO of SK hynix at the time — a rare and memorable experience, as well as valuable gifts.

In 2021, a reorganization dissolved the Research and Education team, and I ended up reporting directly to KT, while still being listed under administration. Despite this, I continued collaborating primarily with the engineering team (I always seem to shake things up 😊). The pandemic forced us to adapt, leading to new event formats. This change gave me the chance to fulfill a long-held dream: hosting two online workshops on Korean cuisine together in collaboration with Irina Protaschik and Kristina Kul . One featured a chef who had worked at the South Korean Embassy in Belarus, and the other was supposed to be led by me. Unfortunately, I fell ill, so I had to guide a professional chef remotely on how to prepare tteokguk, the traditional Korean New Year’s dish. Korean culture began to extend beyond employee events and lectures, as I proposed ideas to our PR/CSR specialists ( Yuliya Pus and Julia Herman ), prepared educational materials for teachers, and helped to organize CSR events for children focused on Korean culture.

The final months at the Minsk office before my move to Poland were emotionally charged. Some colleagues chose to stay in Belarus, while others left. We all understood that things wouldn’t be the same, but we supported one another and cherished our remaining time together. During my last month, I returned to where it all began—the HR office—where I familiarized myself with their work and assisted Galina Beliavskaya and Nikaleta Aleinichenka , whenever possible. At my suggestion, we started a Friday tradition: ordering takeout from “My Dear Kebab” and sharing lunch together. As time passed, fewer people joined, and by December 28, 2022, I left Minsk office too.

Next came the beautiful city of Gdańsk, where a new chapter in my life began at SK hynix NAND Product Solutions Poland, d.b.a. Solidigm—a subsidiary of SK hynix that emerged from the acquisition of Intel’s divisions.

In my new role, my responsibilities have expanded for a variety of reasons. While the Korean language classes haven't resumed yet, I took on the exciting challenge of delivering lectures on Korean culture—in English—to my Polish colleagues. It was my first time lecturing in English, but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, thanks in no small part to my fantastic colleagues like Beata Kruczek and Katarzyna Łysek , who provided invaluable support.

One unexpected twist has been taking on tasks traditionally handled by our talanted technical writers Tatiana Bogdevich , Dzina Volkava and Veronica Kaptur , none of whom relocated to Poland. Now, I find myself proofreading patents, reviewing conference papers, and creating guides for internal tools too. While these tasks aren’t my primary area of expertise, they’ve become a great learning experience, helping me grow in areas I hadn’t anticipated. My previous management experience at the university has also proven useful, especially when organizing corporate training programs, such as a recent machine learning course led by Siarhei Zalivaka.

Additionally, I’ve been involved in more communication with colleagues and interpretation, particularly during all-hands meetings, where bridging language gaps is critical. I’ve recently begun learning Python and exploring prompt engineering, while gradually diving into the world of machine learning, AI, and natural language processing. The skills I developed during my master’s and PhD studies in linguistics have turned out to be incredibly relevant and helpful along the way. I’ve even had the pleasure of hosting two corporate events 😊. These roles don’t feel entirely new to me—in fact, they often bring a sense of déjà vu. My university and school days were filled with similar activities, whether organizing events or acting as a host. So, it’s a part of my work that I genuinely enjoy.

Despite all the challenges and turbulent times, led by Alexander Sapozhnikov we're now stepping into a new chapter, one that many of us associate with fresh hopes. Just last week, we participated in the official opening ceremony of SK hynix's new R&D center—SK hynix memory solutions Poland. Once again, it was a moment for rectification of names, as Confucius might have advised, and once again, we witnessed the phoenix rising from its own flames, reborn from the ashes. I hope this new flame burns brighter, warmer, and more comforting than the one we left behind in Minsk. The Minsk office will always hold a special place in our hearts, a cherished memory that may never be recreated, but its memory will guide us like a lighthouse on this long journey through the waves of destiny.

So, what is it exactly that I do? I like to think of it as "corporate Asian studies and cross-cultural communications management." Even though my title, “Specialist,” may sound a bit impersonal, and my work, much like that of an unseen front-line soldier, often goes unnoticed, I believe I’m making a meaningful contribution—helping to bridge cultural gaps and fostering understanding in a multicultural, international environment. Perhaps the most important part of my job is having the courage to point out when a certain situation or comment might spark conflict because it’s perceived very differently across cultures. Openness to other perspectives and a genuine desire to understand your partner’s culture are the true keys to effective communication in global companies.