Stephan Scheuer

Talks, moderation and interviews work in English as naturally as they do in German. A large share of Stephan's reporting work – first as a Beijing correspondent, later in Silicon Valley – was conducted in English. International conferences and English-language stages are part of the regular routine.

Stephan holds a Master of Science (MSc) from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, alongside studies at the Free University of Berlin, the Philipps University of Marburg and Renmin University of Beijing.

Speaking & moderation

Working languages are German and English – both at full professional proficiency, written and spoken. Talks, moderation, interviews and research run seamlessly in either.

A note on Chinese

People often ask how well I speak Chinese. As a correspondent in Beijing, I conducted interviews in Chinese and read Chinese newspapers and primary sources. These days my Chinese is a bit rusty: I listen and speak much better than I read.

For my final exams at SOAS in London I had to write essays by hand in Chinese. I still remember how long I trained so my fingers wouldn't cramp. Today there's not much of that left: when I take handwritten notes, I have to think hard about how each character is written. I'm just used to typing them on a phone or laptop.