Language Proficiency
There has always been something about the challenge of learning a foreign language that excites me. Perhaps it is the satisfaction I get when I am able to effectively communicate with others that motivates me to try ever harder to improve my proficiency in a foreign language. Though Korean is the third foreign language that I’ve pursued, contrary to the other two, other factors discourage me from abandoning my study.
Growing up as a native English-speaking American, it is easy to cast aside the benefits of learning a foreign language. So many people consign themselves to the idea that since English is the lingua franca of the modern world, there is no need to for them to learn another language. I have come to reject this idea completely, and although I have yet to completely master a second language, I recognize the rich benefits that stem from knowledge of a second language. While in a Goldilocks style scenario, high school Spanish seemed too easy and undergraduate level Arabic proved more of a challenge than I was willing to invest, Korean proved itself as challenging enough for me to never stop yearning for improvement, while not so difficult that the prospects of fluency seemed impossible.
Despite earning a minor in Arabic Language during my undergraduate career, the Army chose not to deploy me to the Middle East to utilize this acquired skill. I was instead sent to the Korean Peninsula as part of a nine-month rotation. With only the most basic of expressions to lean on, I quickly sought out a Korean teacher during my brief time in the country. With a rich culture, a vast pool of multimedia, and relative regional stability, I quickly shifted my language efforts to Korean upon returning to the United States. After leaving the Army, with Korea in the forefront of my mind, I set off to improve my skills by immersing myself in the language while teaching English.
It was during this period of teaching English that my Korean language proficiency improved the most. If I was not at work, I was immersing myself in the language any way I could. I watched Korean TV shows, listened to popular music, and spent many of my weekends at the local language exchange cafes, always searching for new ways to improve. I saw the benefits of my hard work after a few months when I sat for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) and earned the highest level possible on the exam. My euphoria quickly subsided after I took the advanced exam and failed to earn even the lowest of proficiency levels. All this meant was that I would work even harder to improve my language skills, even while I was preparing to exit this immersive community and begin my studies at the Bush School.
Though disheartened at the lack of Korean courses at Texas A&M, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Bush School provides free tutoring in foreign languages. Taking full advantage of this resource allowed me to maintain my level of Korean even while not immersed in the language as before. This resource paid dividends upon my return to Korea in 2019 to attend a Korean language course and a semester at Seoul National University. I found that I was now able to communicate with locals at a level that allowed me to join Korean groups that revolved around my interests such as running and hiking. This integration further into Korean society through these groups has allowed my Korean language skills to grow even further through experience as opposed to classroom learning or self-study. By learning through these experiences, I have come to find that studying culture goes hand in hand with the local language.
With the goal of working in Korea, my pursuit of Korean mastery will never end. Although I feel a sense of pride when locals compliment me on my ability, the culture of humility that permeates Korean society has also made its impression, pushing me to continue studying in order to gain a greater understanding not only of the language, but of the society as well.