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How did non-Korean K-pop idols like Lisa from BlackPink,
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Momo from Twice or Minnie from Idle learn Korean so fast?
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Do they have secret techniques for learning new languages quickly,
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while other people seem to need much more time to study Korean
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and still not see results that quickly?
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Today, let's discuss how foreign K-pop idols achieve Korean fluency
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in a relatively short period of time and
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what WE can learn from their experiences to make progress in OUR Korean learning.
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First off, the first reason that they improve so quickly is their significant amount of output.
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When it comes to language learning, both input and output are crucial,
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input meaning listening and reading and output meaning speaking and writing.
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But, here, I'm focusing more on output because normally,
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self-study learners tend to lean towards input-based learning because,
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you know, it's easier to hit grammar books and study by yourself
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compared to finding someone to converse with in Korean.
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It is especially the case if you don't live in the country where your target language is used.
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If you have been following us,
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you might know that Talk To Me In Korean has taught Korean on YouTube for 13 years now.
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According to our stats, only 7% of views are from Korea,
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meaning that 93% of our subscribers are learning Korean outside Korea and thus,
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probably don't have enough chances to use Korean as much as they need.
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And that might include you.
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But what about idols?
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You will already know most of the foreign members of K-pop groups
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start to take Korean classes since they were trainees.
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Lisa from BlackPink once mentioned in an interview that
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her Korean teacher had her to speak only in Korean during the whole class.
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And they spend a lot of time with their band members,
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which gives them enough chances to speak in Korean in a comfortable environment.
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Now, numerous studies have shown that
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learners can best practice their speaking skills when their anxiety and stress levels are low.
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In other words, high levels of anxiety and stress have a negative impact on language acquisition.
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That is, you can better practice your Korean
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when you talk with your close friends in a chill atmosphere
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rather than when you're being evaluated for every single mistake.
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In that perspective, they must have benefited a lot from always
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having Korean members around them to talk to in Korean!
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For most of our learners who don't have fellow band members or a giant agency to train them,
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or Korean friends to talk to on a daily basis,
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I'll introduce 2 easy methods that you can practice speaking Korean on your own.
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Number one is to watch a YouTube video and try summarizing it in your own words.
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For instance, in this video,
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I talked about 4 reasons why it seems too hard to make friends in Korea as a foreigner.
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You can go watch it and summarize the four points verbally in Korean!
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Actually the content you're going to watch doesn't have to be in Korean,
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which means you can listen to a podcast in your native language and summarize it in Korean.
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However, if you could, I think it's always better to consume content in Korean,
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because that way you can pick up some native-like Korean expressions
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from that video and use them when you summarize it.
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If this method is too difficult for you for now,
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an easy way is to think of something fun that recently happened to you
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and imagine that you're explaining it to your friend in Korean.
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The second method is reading out loud.
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Reading out loud is '낭독' in Korean.
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Reading aloud is a very good way to improve your reading skills and vocabulary
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but it also greatly helps your speaking.
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You might think that it wouldn't be as effective because you are reading what someone else wrote,
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instead of you forming your own sentences.
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But muscle memory plays a role in speaking a language, too.
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In order to naturally and fluidly spit out Korean sentences that you formed in your head,
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you need to have said them multiple times so it just rolls off your tongue.
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And reading aloud can definitely help you with that.
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So definitely try it yourself!
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And the second reason is K-pop idols' strong motive to learn Korean.
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There are 2 types of motivation when it comes to language learning.
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One is internal motivation and the other is instrumental motivation.
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Now, when we asked our learners why they learn Korean,
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70% of them said they're learning Korean to understand K-pop or K-drama without subtitles.
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This is called "internal motivation" which is the kind of motivation to accomplish your goal
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that comes from within you.
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If you're learning a new language because you like how it sounds
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or you want to communicate with native speakers,
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these are all internal motivations.
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And having internal motivation greatly helps your language learning so keep it up!
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How about idols?
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First of all, they will have the same motive as you
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because they must have made up their mind to study Korean
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in the first place because they were into Korean songs and music.
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But they also HAVE TO be at least somewhat fluent in Korean,
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to fully express their lyrics, and build bonds with their Korean fans.
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And their Korean should be even more fluent if they want to be in dramas or reality shows!
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These kinds of motives are called "instrumental motivation"
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which means a practical or pragmatic reason for language learning.
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So, foreign idols have strong and various motivations to achieve Korean fluency no matter what.
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What lessons can we apply to OUR Korean learning from their experiences?
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It can be a good strategy for you to make more pragmatic reasons for achieving Korean fluency,
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other than being able to communicate with Koreans or understanding Korean content without subtitles!
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To talk about my experience as an example,
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I'm also a long time language learner myself.
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When I was job hunting like 6 years ago,
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I was intentionally looking for a job that required a high proficiency in English.
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Back then, I didn't know the concepts of different types of motivations,
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but I had a hunch that it's going to be really difficult to always set aside time for my English
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unless I HAVE TO do so because of my job.
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That was one of my reasons why I wanted to work at Talk To Me In Korean.
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Likewise, try making more powerful reasons to keep you motivated to improve your Korean!
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Lastly, the third factor for non-Korean idols' fluent Korean is
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systematic and consistent learning opportunities.
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1:1 tutoring, group lessons, books, conversation classes –
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music labels actively support their artists' Korean learning.
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And like anything else in the world,
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having a systematic curriculum to follow will be a great help to make significant progress.
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And this part is where you could use the help of experts or Korean learning services because you know,
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it's way more convenient to use an established curriculum that
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professional Korean teachers have made rather than
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to create an entirely new curriculum by yourself, right?
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And we'd be very happy if you could consider using our service, Talk To Me In Korean!
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We have the full Korean curriculum of Levels 1 to 10 that is proven to be effective by 1.5M users.
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And we also have dozens of books and courses that cater to your Korean learning purposes,
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so definitely check them out at TalkToMeInKorean.com.
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So, today, we talked about how foreign idol members have become fluent in Korean quickly
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and how we can achieve fluency while we don't have band members to talk to in Korean all the time
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or music labels to constantly provide Korean classes!
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But before I wrap up, there's one thing that I'd like to mention.
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In fact, when you talk about how fast someone has learned a language,
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there are many factors, important linguistics factors that are often overlooked.
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For example
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one, how close their mother tongue is to Korean
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two, whether an idol is already an experienced language learner,
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in other words, if they already know how to acquire foreign languages by experience
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three: if they were exposed to Korean during their childhood and so forth
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Comparing your Korean learning progress to a certain idol ignoring all these factors
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is just not fair for you.😭
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And I figured most of the foreign idols have significantly improved their Korean
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AFTER they debuted and they've gotten better and better as time went by,
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just like any of us!
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Additionally, many idols publicly stated that they have been struggling with Korean a lot.
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So, I believe learning a new language is as difficult for them as it is for us.
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I hope none of you who are watching this video
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feel bad about yourself because you think your Korean is not improving fast enough.
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It's natural to take time to learn a language
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and the key is to not give up and consistently expose yourself to the language and practice.
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And we, at Talk To Me In Korean,
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are here to help you learn Korean in the most fun and effective ways possible.
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So, 파이팅!! ❤️🔥
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I hope you enjoyed this video.
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And if you did, don't forget to subscribe and share this video
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with your Korean learner friends who are also K-pop fans!
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여러분 그럼 다음 시간에 만나요! 안녕~
