Aaron Hathaway

Image of Aaron Hathaway, indoors, using a synthesizer or DJing equipment.
Image of Aaron Hathaway.
Image of Aaron Hathaway speaking at a video game awards show.
Image of Aaron Hathaway.
Image of Aaron Hathaway announcing with a microphone.
Image of Aaron Hathaway with headphones, looking toward the camera.

Languages: Danish (and English obviously)

Majors and Certificates: Journalism + Scandinavian Studies, Digital Studies Certificate

Graduation Year: 2018

Current Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

What have you done since graduating from UW–Madison? The summer after I graduated I moved to Denmark for an internship with Henning Larsen, an architecture firm based in Copenhagen. I was there for a year and a half, then got a full-time job with a software company called Famly, where I stayed as a marketing writer for 3.5 years. I’m now with a Danish video game developer called Ghost Ship Games, where I partially work as a marketing/PR copywriter, but also with in-game creative writing — doing in-game narratives, character voicelines, and even voicing characters myself. I’m very happy here. At the same time, I’ve also been involved in the Danish pro wrestling scene in my free time. I’ve been working as a ring announcer at live shows since 2019, and in 2021 I co-founded an independent pro wrestling promotion called Nordic Elite Wrestling, which I help run and still serve as the face/voice of, as the emcee during shows. That’s been a big success — we’ve had near on three dozen sold-out shows, including 1,000+ crowds at Amager Bio, and festival shows at Roskilde Festival and Copenhell. I’m nearing nine years since I moved over here, and earned permanent residence in 2023, so I plan on being here for good.

What motivated you to study these languages? Honestly I thought it was cool that UW had a ton of languages to learn, and I just picked Danish at random. I didn’t have any particular familial or personal connection to Danish language or heritage. 

How have these languages enriched your life? Danish was the motivation to move over here, obviously, but I think it’s also the reason I’ve been able to form such deep connections here. You can live in Copenhagen without speaking Danish, but you’ll never really be able to access people in their native language, nor fully engage with the culture, history, media and references that everyone else is. I sometimes compare it to the free version of an app versus the paid one. So I have Danish to thank for the depth of connection I have here in my relationships, and for the sense of belonging I’ve got here now.

What do you remember about your UW language classes? How were they different from other classes you took? The main thing I remember was how small they were. I remember my Danish class was eight people, and that was a record-setting large class for the department. But especially when most classes at UW can be so big that you risk feeling anonymous, I liked the more accessible size of the Scandinavian Studies program.

How valuable were your out-of-classroom experiences? Super valuable. My classroom experiences taught me the basics, but there’s a big difference in schoolbook Danish versus how it’s spoken and understood in real life. Same with any language, I’d expect. But there’s so much humor, slang, idioms and weird expressions, and loads of cultural references that are impossible to teach in a classroom, but critical to feeling like you belong and can keep up with what’s going on around you. Of course the in-classroom experiences gave me the foundation to start with, though. Can’t have one without the other.

How have you maintained or improved your language(s) since graduation? I’d very comfortably describe myself as fluent in Danish these days. I can always keep up in any conversation and express my own feelings, thoughts and humor, though I still do mess up et- and en- words, and my written grammar isn’t always so hot. But I’m quite proud of the degree to which I’ve gotten a grip on the language and integrated in the culture here. Most people are very impressed with my Danish, “especially for an American”. It’s fun hearing people try to guess where I’m from based off my accent, and I’m glad I avoided having an egregiously American accent in Danish. Most of my work, many of my friendships, and much of my relationship with my (Danish) partner happens in Danish, so it’s very easy to keep it up.

What advice do you have for current language students? Study abroad, make friends there, don’t be afraid of seeming desperate to make friends. Go to meetups, go on dates, talk to strangers, do whatever it takes to make some good friends. That’s the big difference between feeling lonely or feeling like you belong in a new place.

What is your favorite word or phrase in a language you know? Danish has loads of funny turns of phrase, but most are really crude so I don’t know what you can print in the newsletter. I like the saying ‘de er ikke til at slå en smil af’ for someone who’s very serious. Or the expression ‘at tømme ryggen’ for pooping. Otherwise the Aarhusiansk “prøv’li’hø’hær” for saying listen up.