These days I am trying to spend a few minutes each day practicing my Korean. I haven't given up! Here's a quick rundown of the books and tools that I am using. First, I should tell you my goals for Korean. My main goal is to be able to talk with my husband and my in-laws around the house and when we visit extended family in Korea. When I lived in Korea, I got pretty good at getting around town, ordering food, and basically surviving as an expat. But now, I want to be able to hold longer conversations. My secondary goal is to be able to watch Korean variety shows and dramas without English subtitles. One goal is practical and one is fun!
Fluent Forever by Gabriel WynerThis is the book that reignited my belief that I am capable of learning Korean! While living in Korea, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't make more progress, because I expected immersion to work like magic. Well, spoiler alert, it didn't! I don't think my actual Korean skill progressed at all. Then after returning to the US, I picked up Fluent Forever from the library. Yes, I still use the library and I love it!
I learned so much from this book about the best way to capitalize on the science of memory. Using the methods in this book, I think my Korean has improved a ton! The main lessons I learned were...
1) Stop translating! The goal of fluency is to think in another language. All of my flashcards use pictures to convey a meaning instead of English words.
2) Use spaced repetition (see Anki below).
3) It is good to make mistakes (see Seongmin and my in-laws below).
AnkiIn Fluent Forever, Gabriel Wyner discusses this free flashcard program. I gave it a try and it is now my main tool for Korean learning. I make my own flashcards, because the process of making them is part of the learning. I use them for vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. Right now I only have to review for 5-10 minutes each day and I try to add 10 vocabulary words a day. Since I'm pretty busy right now, I feel like this is a totally manageable time commitment, and I don't feel like my learning has halted. The magically part of Anki is that it uses spaced repetition. Gabriel Wyner says that spaced repetition, which is where you review a piece of information at increasing intervals, is like programing it into your brain.
Today I am making a flashcard for 우체국 = post office. If I review it today and mark that I remembered it, Anki will make it "due" tomorrow. If I remember it tomorrow, Anki will make it due 2 days after that. Then 4 days, and so on. The interval increases because my memory improves each time I see it and remember it.
Top 1500 WordsThis is a Korean frequency dictionary that I bought in Korea, but didn't use much until I started using Anki. I love that it is split up by word type, and it includes the Chinese characters and even sample sentences! I'm working my way through this book to focus on learning the most-used Korean vocabulary. One key tip that I learned from Fluent Forever is that you shouldn't learn all words in one category at a time, like colors or words related to family. If you do, it is very likely that you won't be able to remember individual words outside of that context. That is also why I don't review flashcards in a predictable order. I tis important to me that I'm learning the most-used words because my goal with Korean is to be able to hold my own in Korean conversation.
Seongmin and my in-lawsI would be remiss if I didn't mention that my family is a HUGE help to me in my Korean study. Seongmin patiently answers my questions and listens to me stumble along new grammar. My mother-in-law text messages me in Korean, and whenever we are together, both of my in-laws speak to me in Korean. I feel very blessed by their encouragement, especially because they are the reason that I continue this journey.
Talk To Me In Korean (TTMIK)If there were a TTMIK for every language, everyone would learn Korean! These great people make videos, podcasts, ebooks, and more! I am up to Level 4 of their main curriculum and I'm also listening to the natural Korean "podcast" style series called "Iyagi". I have a few of their books too. One that I'm loving right now is "My Weekly Vocabulary". When we lived in Korea, we even attended the grand opening of their cafe! I religiously watch their videos and take notes of new vocabulary to add to my flashcards. And some videos I just watch for fun!
How To Study Korean.comWhenever I am confused about a grammar point, I turn to this website. There are >100 Korean lessons that go into extreme detail and explain things in a way that a native English speaker can understand. I have tried to go through it in order, but there is so much information in each lesson that I get overwhelmed! It is an excellent resource, and I've decided to use it as a reference rather than a textbook that must be read cover to cover.
Lang-8This is an AMAZING website that allows you to upload any text for native speakers to correct. You also correct "journal entries" in your native language to get your entries to the top of the pile. Free writing is a great way to identify holes in vocabulary and grammar concepts, and this website is perfect for that!
LinksDaum Korean-English Dictionary
Forvo Pronunciation Dictionary
There are so many amazing resources out there for language learners, I sometimes get overwhelmed by all the options! If you are learning a language and have any suggestions, please let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment