Marcus Larsen-Strecker

M.A. Graduate Program in Translation and Interpretation, National Taiwan University
B.A. International Relations and Asian Studies, Tufts University

Marcus began studying Mandarin in fifth grade, and his passion for the languages and cultures of China has grown stronger ever since then. Since starting his Mandarin studies over fifteen years ago, Marcus has travelled extensively throughout China. His travels have taken him to Inner Mongolia and Ningxia to teach breakdancing and math in rural schools, to Xi’an as an exchange student at a local high school, and to Kunming as a translator for a local NGO working for the civil rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. With Dragons, Marcus led the 4-week Chinese language course during the summer of 2018 and 2017 and the fall 2017 Mekong semester.

Meanwhile, Marcus works as a freelance literary translator, Chinese-English interpreter and Chinese and English teacher. Marcus is the assistant to a project publishing a series of Taiwanese literary works in English translation headed by National Taiwan Normal University and the National Museum of Taiwan Literature. Marcus also shadows a Taiwanese geologist on a variety of projects, primarily related to sustainable agriculture, reforestation, ecological research, and preserving Taiwanese aboriginal culture. Marcus hails from Brookline, Massachusetts but has been based in Taipei, Taiwan since 2013.

When not pursuing his love of languages or leading a Dragons course, Marcus spends his free time practicing yoga and often more yoga – but he has also been known to dabble in morning “guangchang wu” (Chinese dance aerobics held in parks and public squares) when the opportunity arises.