Lee Jung
In the world in which the social network services and the internet bring people from different backgrounds tighter, speaking only one language would not be sufficient to fully appreciate the ever-intermingling world. I am sure that those who are considering an exchange program or those who are already in Korea as a part of the programs feel the necessity of broadening our minds and perspectives through such experiences. In our experiences through which we learn, understand, and grasp the cultures and lives of the people in diverse communities, I personally believe language isn’t necessarily the most compelling factor that defines our communications. Language, however, is an essential tool to effectively mingle with others from different cultures.
We all are urged to learn another language but it is never easy. We are exhausted all the time because of the massive amount of school works; when we finally have time to spare, we digress.
Here is a great app with which you can simultaneously digress and study Korean. FluentU offers a systematic curriculum aiming to teach Korean with famous video clips such as commercials, music videos, and drama scenes.
Starting with cute video clips teaching basic alphabets and syllables for beginners, the application enables you to watch BTS music videos and clips of famous Korean dramas once you get into the intermediate level. The videos are organized in the order of proficiency, and each video has subtitles in English for definitions, pronunciations and intonations, in addition to its own in-app Korean-English dictionary.
This is the best feature of the app: When you choose a video, it gives you the list of the words with definitions that appear in the video. And the whole content of the lyrics shows when you click the dialogue tap. While a video plays, Korean lyrics and English translation guide you through all the time. Whenever you are unsure of a meaning, pressing the word gives you extensive definition and examples for the specific word usage. Once you are done with a video, the quiz system trains you with those words repeatedly and thoroughly that you won’t be able to forget the words appeared in the music video.
To my friends who always seek for the mighty answer to achieve certain level of proficiency in English, I always suggest them to use the very language on daily basis so that it becomes part of your life. We all know it very well but are frightened of the amount of effort and time we have to put to pass beyond the baby steps. And we cannot deny that everyday we spend a considerable amount of time watching the YouTube. Why not giving a shot to learn Korean and entertain yourself at the same time?
myHUBS 
Leave a comment