How learning Korean changed my mind about learning foreign languages in general

My love for Korean changed my mind about learning languages. (Emilia Atanasova)

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Emilia Kircheva

I remember my first encounters with foreign languages. I was very little. All those unfamiliar letters on the labels of the candy bars I ate, or on the juices I drank, seemed so pointy, disproportional and generally ugly, while the Cyrillic alphabet that I knew was round, harmonious and pretty. The notion that in these unknown letters hid a message that was unobtainable by me because I didn't know the secret to understanding them got me frustrated. I wanted to know all the letters and their meanings. Whenever I heard foreign language on TV, it gave me a shock. They were people, just like the ones I encountered every day, but the unfamiliar words they spoke made them so distant and unreachable, almost alien-like. Because I wanted to be able to understand and know everything, the boundaries set by my limited knowledge of languages were maddening.

As I grew older, this burning childish curiosity toward the unfamiliar and all of its secrets started to quickly fade. I found that it takes many years to learn just a single one of those languages, in which the labels of products that astonished me so much were written; like, five or even more years! That was half my life at that time and seemed like an eternity.

I started to learn English. All of my teachers assured me that this was the most important language to learn. Every self-respecting person was learning it or already spoke it, so if I knew English, I basically didn't need to know any other language to understand everything important outside my mother tongue. At that time, this seemed unbelievable in a great way. All of my fears about not being able to comprehend all I wanted to were reconciled by this one mighty language that ruled them all. Finally, I found myself  somewhat at peace. I was on the road toward obtaining this one powerful tool for decoding the world outside my comfy mother tongue.

Later, I started to learn German. To be honest, now that I see it, that was more out of vanity and because everybody else was learning a second foreign language, too, than for any other reason. English did give me a key to most things I wanted to know, so I still couldn't get my head around why I need to learn a second, third or fourth language. My regard toward language learning was like that for a long, long time, until I got a wake-up call.

I really wanted to fully understand what made Koreans tick, not just understand the Korean words through subtitles on Korean TV shows. (Dramacool)

I got this in the most unusual place: no other place, but through a Korean soap opera! One sunny day, I fell in love with all things Korean and started listening to Korean pop music, and watching a lot of Korean soap operas and other Korean TV shows. After some time, I noticed something was different. There were subtitles and I did understand the grand ideas about everything, but something thin and precious was slipping through my sight. I started searching on Google like crazy. Why are Koreans addressing one another like this or that? Why do they get offended by this or that? How strong is this word in Korean?

Then it hit me! Language learning is not about simply being able to understand the words, but about truly, madly, deeply perceiving one society through written and spoken speech. I would never be able to truly understand the lyrics of my favorite songs, get the jokes of my favorite celebrities or be able to get the true sense of Korean literature. The essence of Korean would be sealed off from me until I learned the language. I wanted to do those things and see the true colors of Korea so badly! 

So my journey began. I can personally testify that learning a new language and the whole culture sitting behind it is hard and time consuming. However, where's the rush? If you don't need the new language knowledge for a job position immediately, then why hurry? The 22-year old me sees the language-learning-takes-time dilemma quite differently from  the 10-year old me. Even in the worst case scenario, if it takes me 10 or more years to learn a new language, for the rest of my life I can still learn six more languages, on top of the three I already know! How amazing is that?

The message on the cover of my notebook says, 'Change your thoughts and you`ll change your world.' (Emilia Atanasova)

Here I am now, one year since my love for Korean changed my mind about language learning. My handwriting isn't the best, but I'm on my way to finishing my second notebook. It's true that passion can do wonders for learning. I decided to try my best on my own. I researched all the possibilities to learn Korean alone, and guess what? They were countless! Also, they didn't lose their value because they aren't based on a classroom. Before, I had this prejudice that online learning somehow is not very reliable, but now all of that is gone.

I started with an introduction course that's provided by Yonsei University (https://www.coursera.org/learn/learn-korean). I can't tell you how happy I was that in a way I was being tutored by such a renowned Korean institution. People say that it's hard to learn on your own, without any supervision. I believe that this only means they are not driven enough to learn; their passion toward the subject is not great enough. I finished the course with a grade of 95.7 percent. 

I managed to study Korean on my own, online. (Coursera)

Then I started the second part of the course, which is focused on speaking (https://www.coursera.org/learn/learn-speak-korean1/home/welcome). Although the course was again great, in the middle of it I decided I wanted to learn more grammar and then come back, this time to truly understand how the words I'm speaking are formed and why. I tried different textbooks, found an amazing website where I can learn grammar and do listening (https://www.howtostudykorean.com) and combined that with a website focused only on learning words, by implanting them in my long-term memory (https://www.memrise.com/home). I'm still constantly looking for new sources and, of course, continue to listen to Korean music, watch soap operas and TV shows, and try to read the posts by my favorite idols on social media. I try hard to catch as many words as I can, and to really comprehend their meaning.

The immediate goal of my journey in learning the Korean language so far has been my attempt to obtain TOPIK 1 certification. Although I don't learn via a "regular" program, which provides the knowledge specifically necessary for the exam, when I heard the exam was being held in my hometown I signed up without hesitation. I think it went well, but the sole fact that I was there made me so happy. The rest doesn't matter that much. If it turns out I didn't pass, that would be OK. I can go next year, or the year after that, because I'm doing this for myself and at my own pace.

I took the TOPIK as part of my journey toward learning the Korean language. (Emilia Atanasova)

You know what? Six months ago I signed up for a French class at my university and I also have my eye on a beginner's course for Mandarin and simplified Chinese writing. We shall see. 

wisdom117@korea.kr

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