Why Koreans don't speak English to you! | Korean Pizza Club | EP.15

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🎤 Host: David Kim @justdavid_92 👫 Guests: Anna Lee ‪@jyannalee‬ / Soobin ‪@soobeanie‬ / Dan Kim @theundaniable1 from ‪@DKDKTV‬ Ramyun & Chill
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Timestamps
00:00 Teaser
Korea is well known to have an intense education system and English takes a big portion in it. Koreans try so hard and pay so much money into English education. However, many foreigners say that many Koreans shy away from speaking English with them. Why is this? Our guests, who are all fluent Korean and English speakers try to explain the reason to this.
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[@koreanpizzaclub]

Get the Daebak Box that includes all sorts of Korean products from K-pop, K-food, K-beauty products, and more! daebak.co/ 10 percent discount code : KPC10

[@Clos5098]

As a old ordinary korean dude, FYI. 'the Showing off' thing is related with Gyopo history in korea. In late 1990s to early 2000s at 압구정 was terratory of ko-us GYOPO. most of them was 2nd generation of Rich Korean parents. that Gyopos did commit violence like physical fight things in club, showing off, make fun of korean koreans,flexing money, drive cars with loud noises, use drugs. so they got caught every single day, and released every time ( Rich Powerful Parents ). they r on news every night in TV. so that kind of concepts of Gyopo make word like Bananas, Foreigner with Black Hair (검은 머리 외국인). People who is over 30 yo still remember that sort of memories. it's like 'asian-foreigner speaks english = Trouble maker' I know it's not fair and it's discrimination. I'm not saying u guys just suck it or something like that. I really feels sad about these kind of things. Recently especially yonger generations don't know about this mostly, so it need some time to fade away. and we r changing slowly. this is some part of reason why we don't speak english much more. speaks english fluently = Trouble / not fluently = dumbass sry for my bad english. I hope u guys understand what I mean. 영어가 서툴러서 죄송합니다. '이게 문제니까 너희가 참아라' 가 아니라 이런 것도 영어를 잘 하지 않게 되는 이유 중의 작은 부스러기 정도 된다고 전해드리고 싶었습니다. 그리고 채널을 뒤늦게 알게 되서 거꾸로 보는 중인데 보는 영상마다 너무 재밌습니다. 영어 듣기 연습도 너무 좋구요!

[@curryisgood6103]

I lived in korea for a while and koreans tend to panic a lot when they find themselves in a situation they need to speak english. They worry so much about not speaking perfectly instead of simply trying to talk. The difference was really extreme when I went for a trip to tokyo and once I arrived there the japanese were not afraid to speak it although their english wasnt perfect. They simply did not care and tried to communicate as good as they can. Thats at least my experience.

[@Chunmun-rk3tt]

Totally agree with this. This was my experience also

[@CMGSCMGS]

Agreed. In Japan, I met many people who were much more comfortable in speaking English compared to Korea. They also welcome people to speak their own foreign languages without getting annoyed. In South Korea, people don't like to hear foreigners speaking other foreign languages. Based on my personal experiences and observations though 😊

[@trff5746]

@@CMGSCMGS called racism only time i felt this was in korea after going to asia for 8 months

[@trff5746]

@curryisgood6103 thats literally most of asia try to communicate just korea they dont.... wonder why =their judgement culture also why most suicide in world

[@reylandvilla6646]

Agree… they tend to think that they will be judged by the people around them, and that puts stress on them to speak perfectly instead of just trying to communicate…

[@Chunmun-rk3tt]

I visited Korea last year and I really noticed the reluctance of Koreans to speak English. They would rather escort me to the place I was trying to find, than give me directions which is such a shame but SUPER kind! I would have loved to have chatted with them and not inconvenienced them. I visited Japan in June and I thought people there were far more confident with speaking English, even though it might have been at a lower level than in Korea. I don't know why Korean people are reluctant to speak English. As someone visiting the country on holiday, any English spoken is charming and cute, and visitors certainly wouldn't be roasting or commenting on the accent! Korean people please have confidence in your ability with English and if you want to improve it, speak it at any and every opportunity!

[@Ralu-ht9tg]

In Europe we are used to hearing all types of accents, sometimes so strong that one struggles to understand what the other is saying. But what matters is getting the message accross, be it a mix of languages and/or body language. So I am guessing Sonny got used to this mentality and that is why he speaks so freely. As he should!

[@iamnemoo]

Lol yea, English is pretty flexible. It doesn't have to be perfect to be understandable. We understand English accents and even different dialects from all over Europe, South Asia, South America, Africa, etc etc. Despite all the flavors of English, we can still talk to each other in person or online. Koreans don't have to worry about it being "perfect", even South Asian English is pretty different but it's understandable.

[@michaelcorbett4236]

I have this problem when I go to the Philippines for my in-laws. Filipinos speak English but with a Pinoy accent. When they hear a Northern Irish accent they just look at me. Fortunately Taglish/Bisayan-lish whatever is not frowned upon so you can mix it all up.

[@samanthaalexis5877]

As a native English teacher here in Korea, I definitely think confidence is a major issue of Koreans speaking but also the lack of opportunity to use the language. Once my students are out of school, they have no one in their daily life to speak with or practice English with. Also, a lot of their English learning or classes are taught in Korean, which is strange to me. I know it's to help them understand grammar, but if they are only getting speaking practice like once a week then it's hard to build that skill. I have had head teachers of the school I work at who teach English, but say they can't speak it so they don't really talk to me. They will only converse with the other Korean teachers and expect them to relay information to me. So, although there is extensive English language learning, there isn't much opportunities for Koreans to actually use the language. To the point about Singapore and why I think it differs from Korea, is Konglish is taking an English word and giving it a Korean pronunciation, but when Koreans hear the actual word in English they will have no clue what you're talking about. I'm sure you've heard this many times from foreigners when they say they go to coffee shops in Korea. If you order a caramel macchiato and say it in a regular English accent, most baristas don't know what you're saying until you say it in a Korean pronunciation. I've had this happen to me many times when I'm talking to my students and will mention something in Korea like Paris Baguette or Rolling Pasta and they'll have no clue what I'm talking about until it's said in Korean pronunciation.

[@koreanpizzaclub]

30K SUBS! 🎊 🎉 Thank you so much for the love and support :) The channel has been growing in such a fast pace thanks to you guys. I would like to ask you on what kind of topics interested you the most and what kind of guests you want to see in the future! Also, as you might know, I run this channel all by myself and it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to do all the planning, booking, casting, scheduling, equip set-up, editing, thumbnails, distributing, sponsors all by myself. So if you would like to make it more sustainable for me and wish to support the channel, please consider supporting on Patreon! Not only are you supporting me and the channel, but you will get access to full-versions of the episodes, exclusive podcasts, and more perks in development! Just for the price of a cup of coffee 🙏 www.patreon.com/KoreanPizzaClub

[@boogiesoles613]

I visited Seoul 2 wks ago, I found Koreans to be polite and very nice contrary to what some people say. I took the subway most of the time and lost my way countless times. Locals have helped me young and middle aged, who spoke a little english, broken english and no english but we got our conversation through w Papago, gestures, or simply a word or two of english.I have to say, Koreans are nice people.

[@raemuncho927]

Personally I need more informations on universities life including ways to get scholarsip, living cost, etc. in South Korea Also I really interested in Korean culture so much ❤

[@leeroyjenkins867]

Loving the frequent uploads keep it up! I think a good topic would be interviewing a Korean corporate worker. As someone who works corporate in Australia, I'm always curious about the local Korean corporate worker's view (work life balance, salary, work culture, changing jobs, industry, skills required etc.)

[@koreanpizzaclub]

Great suggestion!

[@carissa813]

Yes!!! I want to learn about this too!

[@carissaanderson5848]

I was an English teacher in Thailand. It’s one thing to study a language in school and it’s another thing to actually practice in conversation on a daily basis outside of school. It makes a huge difference when your brain gets used to working through improv conversations and not just memorizing “hi how are you” “I’m fine thank you and you?”I think the minimal experience in daily conversation as well as confidence in speaking is the main reason.

[@inquisitvem6723]

Do you plan on teaching English in Korea?

[@queenkimba6892]

I'm an English teacher in Korea and have a hard time practicing my Korean because my Korean friends always want to practice their English with me.

[@livingsweetly5481]

In my experience, South Koreans are very humble, polite and try very hard to speak English when needed. They tend not to like to draw attention to themselves, and they worry that their English, if not perfect, will potentially offend the English speaker.

[@koreanpizzaclub]

Spot on!

[@junyonglee9656]

+they also worry that other KOREANS might judge their English grammar/pronunciation. That's why we have a saying, ROK stands for Republic of "K"ommentators (평론/훈수 공화국)...

[@Mimlou]

I just got back from Seoul last month and was surprised how well and open most service providers (retail, restaurants, coffee shops, mall) knee english and made an effort to speak it. Mainly the "younger" ones, though. Not so much 40yr+.

[@koreanpizzaclub]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@MelodyHopkins]

I tried learning Korean by singing along with Korean singers since I am homebound with a very painful, incurable chronic illness. I thought trying to learn a difficult language for English speakers would help take my mind off my pain because you really have to focus to learn a new language. I tried to communicate online with Koreans to see if anyone would help me with my pronunciation but had no luck. To sing with the Korean singers, I play their songs on Audacity and add my vocal track along with them. So far, I have probably recorded over 5,000 songs with both contemporary and older singers and I post my recordings on KZbin hoping I could encourage Koreans to try my fun method. I have never been embarrassed about my pronunciation knowing that I am trying the best I can, especially without any live guidance. I wish Koreans were not too conscientious or shy to communicate with me.

[@AnuHerself]

My empathy goes out to you! Did you try hellotalk? My friend got lucky and found some nice Koreans to practice her Korean with. Fighting❤️

[@Ykoz2016]

So I’m American and a bit older. When I was a kid, when it came to learning foreign languages, it was just assumed that the “ultimate” goal was to speak with no American accent. To speak a foreign language in its country of origin and be able to “trick” local people into thinking you are also a local. There was no greater compliment then if (for example) a French person was surprised to find out you weren’t French. And because of this emphasis on pronunciation it made students overwhelmed and hesitant to try and learn at all. It didn’t help that if you were speaking to a person from that country they would automatically correct your pronunciation as you spoke. Even if you were just trying to ask a question while traveling and they obviously understood what you were trying to ask, they would still automatically say the word or phrase “correctly” AND wait for you to repeat it back “better” before answering you. I am not kidding. It happened all the time. And this was them being friendly and helpful. No harm meant. So, years later the conversation started to shift. Many Americans don’t travel much to foreign countries (money, distance, time off work) and don’t speak another language. Because they didn’t “have” to. And they didn’t “want” to because it seemed so hard. So big. So much. But then I started having this conversation more and more. Why? Why do I need perfect pronunciation? Why do I have to loose my accent? Am I a spy? Am I undercover? Am I trying to trick people into thinking I’m not American? Isn’t the point of language to communicate? If I am generally understood (meaning my accent isn’t so thick it’s too difficult for locals to understand) isn’t that enough? Why all this emphasis on perfectionism that makes people want to give up before they’ve even tried? Why not celebrate every new word, new phrase, new ability as a win because it’s more than you knew before? This year I’m living abroad, for the first time, a few different countries, and that’s been my approach. Learning as needed and used right away instead of a classroom scenario. And so far so good. (And obviously this doesn’t apply if you are learning a language for work/ career purposes. That’s a whole different landscape I’m sure. ) 😅🤷‍♀️😂

[@emcara6334]

Great episode! I definitely think having confidence is the key to speaking a language. My dad used always say “Feel the fear and do it anyway” so that would be my advice to anyone who is scared to speak English or whatever language you’re learning. It’s ok to make mistakes. Mistakes are how you learn and improve.

[@supdevan6413]

I've tutored english in Korea and other countries and I've always told people to take pride in your accent because english is not an american language it is a global language and HOW you speak is the least important factor to speaking it.

[@sarahbynum97]

David, congratulations on the new job!!

[@phoenixvj8824]

In my experience, learning language is an effort of both party trying to understand each other. When I first got to know my neighbor, she kept asking me to repeat what I said, because she couldn’t understand my accent. When she got what I meant she would correct my pronounciation. So I learned the correct pronounciation from her and she learned my accent. After a while we both get adjusted and communicated very well.

[@steveahn6650]

Love watching your guys' content. Feel like you guys have potential to do a lot of great things on your channel. Your awareness of the language, cultural contexts, Korean social mores, and the bilingual ability of the guests allows you guys to be the gateway youtube channel for all things Korean in English. Twice a week podcasts, maybe a Kdrama reaction, and interviews w/ Korean celebs who either speak English or want to practice it would be really good.

[@carmenrodal6842]

Just came back from Seoul. This was my second time as I was there back in 2014. I saw a clear Improvement, everyone I talked to were quite good in English. I am Spanish with same accent as Alcaraz 😅 so I guess people feel less embarrassed talking to me in English when they clearly see I am not native

[@marcos-ll2yr]

I give up trying to speak English with south koreans because they not gonna anwser you on social media, now I only used translator because I don't know well 한글 so I only talk in Korean, and the results became more positive for me. Congrats for 30k Subs David, Happy for you.

[@user-yo9kw1nw5t]

Fantastic episode regulars, really relatable! The texting, the subway incidents, getting looks and critiques for your accents, and so on. It is really good to see what the Western experience was like for all of you, and how it is viewed in Korea. From my experience in Korea, just confidence and exposure; people actually have quite good English. I do not use almost any English at all when I am in Brazil and people notice my accent "he's a foreigner!?" like soobeanie getting the looks; the level has gone up, but I feel like it is such a part of the culture and competition in Korea like you guys talked about. Any of you, or other viewers face that kind of difficulty when you first move back especially? *Oh other topics: corporate, or education (university) system in Korea. You do great with the entertainment, social norms and culture, so yeah seeing this changeup would be cool.

[@chanmer1]

David speaking konglish was so cute. Yeah I came across this issue when I was in Korea. Sometime asking simple questions people did not want to answer me so badly that they immediately said NO ENGLISH before I could finish speaking. Hopefully next time I go back my Korean skills will be better.

[@iramalhotra2150]

Loving the frequent uploads! Keep them coming ☺️

[@K_taiyu]

BTW David is good at speak English in Korean accent 😎 PS. 30k Congratulation 🎉🎉🎉

[@viviremivida]

This is my fave combo of “regulars” ❤ Such a good and fun episode! Proud of your new gig and all your success, David! ❤

[@loztpm]

In my third year teaching here, and so many of my (high school) students can test super well but can’t understand or respond to me in a normal conversation. But my kiddos that have much better fluency skills and can speak more naturally may not test as well. What do these kids do differently? Use English as a means of communication. Korean education in general but especially English education focuses so heavily on cramming information for the sake of good scores. It doesn’t focus as much on learning just to know about and understand the world better. I really try to focus on communication in my class for this reason. But it’s very hard to change how my kiddos have been taught for 15 years

[@natalies2604]

Congratulations David 🎉 In regards to the topic, my Korean friends and students always to tell me they don’t feel comfortable speaking English because they’re not fluent, and they don’t understand it. I reassure them because that’s how I feel about Korean 😊

[@Incite1]

Hi David, enjoying the podcast. Just a suggestion, if you could include chapters/sections in the KZbin video that would help a lot. 😊

[@zakithitwala2203]

Another great episode guys. LOVED it👌🏾🔥

[@ehengm]

Always have fun watching K.P.C episodes😂! Interesting topics and guests. Thank you, David👏😃

[@SurfbortSurfbort]

Hey David! Loving the podcast! I've noticed some of these episodes seem to become available much sooner on KZbin compared to Spotify (like this one still isn't available on Spotify as far I as can see). Idk maybe its just me but it's a bit disappointing seeing it on KZbin and then being excited to listen to it on Spotify on my way to work, then it not being available. Just a bit of (hopefully) constructive feedback :) once again, loving the show and love your work!

[@koreanpizzaclub]

Will upload asap! Thank you for tuning in :)

[@SurfbortSurfbort]

@@koreanpizzaclub Just saw it's up now, thanks heaps! 😄

[@slavvalb3933]

Yes!!! Two KPC episodes in two days in a row 👍. Keep them coming, please!!

[@michaelcorbett4236]

For any Koreans worried about English: For native English speakers, no one cares if your English is broken or sounds like Yoda. You can speak in infinitives ( I am to do this) and you'll still be understood. There are so many people who speak English in all shapes and forms. Even in the Kingdom of Kerry.

[@RockingMarshall]

Need part 2 of this one, really good. 😃😃😃

[@farmgirl8310]

Another super episode. I don't speak Korean, so I really appreciate the efforts anyone makes to speak English. Just say it. Dont worry about making mistakes, they're a normal part of speaking a second language.

[@inquisitvem6723]

What amazed me was an experience I had in Vietnam. I met this Vietnamese gal who had an American accent with perfect grammar, etc. She sounded like a native American and taught English to her fellow Vietnamese. However, she hadn’t been to a western country. She gave credit to her diligent American teacher years ago.

[@kalmtraveler]

always interesting for me to hear discussions like this from people who were able to learn 2+ languages from childhood... I didn't study a 2nd language until around age 14, and comparing learning Korean now much later to that I don't really notice much difference. I'm sure learning from the single-digit age would have been very different though.

[@savage1510]

I think any effort put forth to speak another language is something to be proud of. I love the hear foreigners speak english. It's adorable.

[@PND-ye3hq]

This aspect is just so interesting to me. I'm from the Netherlands and I can say that Korea and the Netherlands are opposite in this regard. I've learned Korean to an advanced level, and when I was there for a summer program, Koreans would usually comfortably reply to me in Korean once they knew I spoke the language. Which was great for me to practise the language in real life conversations! Whereas in the Netherlands, people would automatically reply to you in English, and it isn't uncommon to reply in English to a fellow Dutch person either in the bigger cities. Which makes it incredibly hard to practise Dutch as a foreigner, as people will just reply in English, even if you try to spreak in Dutch.

[@thebasikk]

I wanted to say the exact same thing 🙃Practicing my Korean on a month long trip to Korea was easier than learning Dutch living in the Netherlands for many years 🤣 The sheer excitement of Koreans hearing me try to speak in their language was all the motivation I needed. While in the Netherlands, the reaction was usually...huh? why would you even learn Dutch? We can speak English. I literally needed to bribe the Dutchies with drinks and dinners to get some 1-1 speaking practice. I've been living in the Netherlands for 10 years and people are actually very surprised that I am fluent in Dutch. So this year I am coming back to Korea for more Korean immersion ❤

[@richardjohntierney5434]

Really enjoyable show. Thanks

[@eko8367]

I could listen to these podcasts multiple times, they are so fun and informative. Soobeanie has so many interesting stories, about everything, she is a real star.

[@fluoricardo]

Omg I needed this video 👀

[@adamdemass3880]

shout out to Soobeanie who even though they laughed at her (friendly, but still laughed) spoke the korean words they asked her to, and pretty confidently too. I feel like in all cultures people are made fun of if they don't say a word the right way, and also in all cultures that people are shy when they don't feel like they know the language well enough. like the podcast, and all of you guys, keep it up!

[@gabbeep.6719]

Love the episode ❤

[@miamia1606]

Hi, I am Taiwanese, l watch your videos for English learning purpose because Korea and Taiwan share similar culture, and I really enjoy your conversation 😂

[@ekaterini2957]

YES would definitely like to see an episode talking about the difficulties of dating a 'Korean Korean" person when you have strong western exposure and speak fluent English. The ladies brought up an excellent point...

[@stuart5178]

"Good at listening not at speaking". Having taught English in Daejeon from 2008-2014 with the EPIK program (placed in public schools) I can attest to this. Koreans' concerns with not being nearly perfect at speaking English (an unreasonable expectation) is made worse by a school curriculum that doesn't focus on communication/speaking.

[@KatrinaYoda]

Don’t know if anyone has mentioned but you should have an episode about mixed/half Koreans. Just a thought.

[@06Yvonne06]

New stuff! Thank you. I am always looking forward to the next discussion. I really think Koreans are doubting themselves so much because society only accepts the best of the best. You will only make foreigner friends and improve in speaking English if you go for it. I moved to London from Germany more than 10 years ago and I struggled a lot with typical English accents in the beginning and often had to ask people to repeat stuff or openly explain that I don't understand (and I had been an English fluent speaker at that time) but it did not take me a year to get comfortable with that. I am 100% sure Koreans will be fine and will feel much more comfortable going on holidays abroad or for business purposes. Sometimes it takes the courage to accept you are not perfect yet and people will understand and also don't mind because at some point you will get there. Be kind to yourself, Korea!

[@st2251a]

Thanks to the internet we are starting to understand each other and that's a very good thing

[@FlaneganB]

A lot of Koreans here in Kota Kinabalu. Some of them trying their best to speak in English and ended up switch to Korean when one of the staff in cafe, market vendor or waiter/waitress, heck even street seller able to converse casually in Korean.

[@TOMANDJERRYRAN2GETHE]

I'm learning Korean, and I am also self-conscious to speak Korean. This is a shared experience. Those language exchange apps seem nice. Haven't used them yet, though.😅

[@gudrun5531]

wow, it's so interesting to hear about thinking or dreaming in which language.

[@garretfitzpatrick8372]

"Mobile" is absolutely legitimate British and Irish English. Way to shout the guy down for deviating from yank-speak 👏👏

[@Rstefanichan]

It's funny how me as an English teacher in Brazil I notice a lot of the same issues that you do in Korea in my learner's; especially the being too self-conscious in order to speak English, that's something that is very common in our culture as well

[@nicolaaa66]

I find the pronunciation issue so interesting because for English speakers we don't mind if you speak with an accent as long as we can understand what you're trying to say. But it seems Koreans put a lot of emphasis on pronunciation in general, like for example when non-Korean idols speak in Korean, their pronunciation is criticised a lot by natives!

[@be_shoichi]

35:25 That Samonim language is an interesting subculture! I've noticed that watching the movie Parasite too. The rich and educated people would insert random English words into a Korean sentence with a native accent. (or spells the word in alphabet in emails lol)

[@kebbiew.8359]

I'm from the UK and I interchange between 'Phone' and 'Mobile'. When I am in the Caribbean I do find myself switching to 'Cell'. I wouldn't laugh at anyone who tries to speak English. There is no perfect English accent. Even if its your no1. language from say London, you can sometimes struggle to understand someone from the north. My nephews born in the US used to laugh at how I speak and said I should speak 'American'. I tried and they laughed and said I sound like a drunk. So I just speak as 'me' everywhere I go. It's just easier. I even speak some spanish (with an english accent) when I'm in Europe. I get loads of smiles from the locals when they see that I'm trying. Koreans don't despair! You will get better with practice and nobody is perfect!

[@ajourney799]

To be honest I'm not well at all but the only chance I got to turn off my anxiety,my overthinking,my depression is when KPC drops a new episodes i literally forget about everything and I can't do house chores without an episode, keep up with the good work cuz u never disappointed 👏🏻🤎👏🏻 and my suggestion would be an episode about Muslims in Korea and also the job opportunities for foreigners after graduating from S.Korea

[@Laura-ev1qe]

This is a very interesting topic. I would have to say that most, if not all, foreigners would not care about the English pronunciation. If I see that they are honestly trying to speak English, I would be very appreciative and not judgmental. They really should not worry about what people think. After all, the only way you are going to master the language is speaking it everyday (mistake and all 😊).

[@pz4971]

A note to Koreans (or anyone) nervous about speaking English correctly - most Americans don't speak English correctly so probably wouldn't notice your mistakes 😁. Also, people anywhere appreciate the effort of someone trying to speak their language... unless it's a phone representative, then people seem less patient & understanding (probably due to the fact they're already frustrated & angry). I know I appreciate it & wish i picked up languages more easily.

[@IshtarNike]

Not to be a downer, but the mistakes of native speakers tend to be different to those of second language learners. Even native speakers with poor English pick up when you call a man she or a woman he like many of my Chinese friends do.

[@Katara0403]

⁠@@IshtarNikeYou’re right, I don’t like when people say things like OP did because it makes us seems we can’t speak our own language. I talk in a lot of slang around my friends but if it’s a different situation I can talk “proper” English. Small mistakes like you mentioned, any native speaker can spot it whether they’re “good” at the language or not.

[@robertocaunga401]

Love watching your show. Very interesting. Am here now working in korea😊.

[@paballotsiu2681]

I think when it come to pronunciation, it's best to speak as often as possible and have one reference person to base your pronunciation on. Example, I'm learning Korean, so I made my students write their names both in Korean and English. Every now and then I practice pronouncing their names, I give them the licence to correct me as much as they want until I get it write. I can't tell you the amout of times I've butchered Korean, but I keep on trying. Additionally, one of my colleagues is my reference person. Her way of pronouncing Koreans words is my base. Any deviation from that I try to understand why there is a deviation.

[@XOut4This]

I love this episode 🥰

[@siriih.974]

And the boys laughing at 40:57 was just so wholesome aww

[@damdamfino]

Ohhhh I didn’t get the banana reference at first! To be clear I haven’t heard this term in awhile, and you know how mean high school kids are, but in America for second gen Asian kids they used the term Twinkie.

[@haruri93]

Honestly when I was in Korea studying in Yonsei I also felt super shy talking in Korean. I think it steamed from people making fun of my english accent (my first language is Spanish) in America. I mean I still had to speak Korean, but I was so shy because I didn't speak it "perfect". I think it also had to do with the way Korean was taught at Yonsei at the time where they were more focused on writing and reading not so much in conversation. So yea I understand where Korean's are coming from when they are shy about english cause I'm self conscious with all languages I speak at this point lol.

[@yaakov22]

Great show

[@TheSylfaein]

Soobin really lights up these episodes, with her pretty much being a personified serotonin boost. Having a comfortable atmosphere and a capable host plays a huge role, i guess.

[@maxinesmith9609]

So happy, a new episode so soon. I think everyone, no matter your background, appreciates when efforts are made to communicate in another language.🧡👍

[@yaakov22]

You are all very interesting and articulate.

[@hannah60000]

@22:53, “Singlish” is more of a dialect than an accent. It’s similar to othe creolised and pidgin “Englishes” that exits for example - Jamaican patois or Nigerian Pidgin - English is used as a base but other loan words coupled with the local language forms the dialect/language.

[@hannah60000]

Singaporeans wouldn’t speak Singlish to a non-Singaporean…they wouldn’t understand!

[@JS-eg6vg]

David - I am Korean and you nailed the "korean english" :)

[@jcruz2255]

This whole topic reminds me of the clip of Red Velvet from YEARS ago. It was when Wendy and Irene were at a variety show and Wendy guessed "Red Velvet" in her fluent NA accent. The host didn't accept it as the correct answer in a humorous way until she said it again with a thick Korean accent (with her expression just showing defeat), lol! It was funny and I get the joke but I also find it fascinating as well.

[@sarahmarkiewicz7975]

As a French person who has lived abroad (Canada, Belgium, etc.) but as an adult, not at a young age and travelled a lot and just came back from 1 year living in South Korea, average Korean people seem/are worse at speaking in English than average French people and I thought we were worse at that (globally speaking) but I was wrong. If a French person manages to speak in English (see all the following explanations why it's super rare) : it's all the time with a very strong French accent but it's better than nothing. I am used to detecting them when I am abroad as a tourist. To sum up, the best/worse are roasting each other are your own compatriots in any country : me with French people speaking in English and you with Korean people. Good point : Now, I can reassure my mother that her English skills are better than any Korean people' ones I met on a daily basis, no matter their age but she decided, a couple of years ago, because both of their children were living abroad at this moment, to study again English to be able to handle casual situations by her own. On the opposite, I visited Japan 2 weeks and locals helped and replied in English when they realized that I am a foreigner versus it's close to never happened in 1 year living in South Korea. So, from my point of view and my own experience, average Japanese people are better at speaking in English than average Korean people. For French people, it's not the fact they don't like speaking in English for pride reason but they don't know how to do it even we learnt it at school (from beginning of middle school [11-12 years old] to end of high school [17-18 years]). So, for French people, it's not a "cultural pride" at all : they just don't even understand you speaking in English. Multiple reasons for that due to a bad educational system for learning foreign languages (not just English actually, it applies also to Spanish, Italian, German, etc.) : 1) we started learning foreign languages too late (unfortunately, not at kindergarden) 2) if I well remember we have "just" 3 hours per week for a foreign language (there is no hagwon system in France, hopefully or unfortunately). Actually, it's weird that Korean pupils study more English than us at school (+hagwon) but are worse at it (I don't understand it). 3) As expected, the foreign language learning process focuses on reading and writing skills and not listening and speaking skills 4) It's not a generation thing because even French people around my age (30's) are not good at English because they just don't care about it on a daily basis and when they were pupils at school, they didn't really focus on it or studied thoroughly. For Korean people, I thought it was shyness but I would say it's just 25% of the cases, most of the time (75%), they are not good at English. For pronunciation issues, it's an issue for every foreign language process, I think and true, the only way to overcome that and improve your pronunciation "skills" is to practice with a broken pronunciation, first. My Korean friend told me that Korean people don't like when other people speak in English because they are not able to know if you are badmouthing them or not but to be honest, I don't care I even spoke more in English to annoy this person.

[@arinaaaarr]

HAHHAHAHA "I am not good at talking but listening" is what I pull up , when I talk to koreans xDD

[@shaygreene2473]

I imagine that I will feel shy when I come to Korea and try to speak the little Korean I know. I understand them feeling shy when speaking English. I’m just going to try my best to speak the best I can … and make sure I’m order tuna in my kimbap and not the other thing 😂

[@mino4965]

Korean people will appreciate your try and be willing to help you. 😊😊😊

[@pragueexpat5106]

As someone who learned English in my home country rather late in life (starting from age 18) on my own, purely through English media consumption (video games, movies, tv shows etc.) and never even been to any English speaking country, I don't understand why people struggle with it so much. Now I'm trying to learn a Slavic language and it's much harder than English, so whenever I hear people complaining about how hard English is, I'm reminded of two phrases from Game of Thrones: "You know nothing Jon Snow..", 'Oh you sweet summer child.."

[@natedang8880]

That sounds rather ignorant ngl… it depends so much on what your first language is. Lifestyle plays a big role as well. Probably your media consumption is just bigger. Language learning is very personal.

[@GoodBoyFx]

i like Anna's energy she is a very upbeat poisitve person n we could see it n love it. I feel some men may get a bit intimidated by her frankness..Anna put sometimes hold back if u wanna capture the GUY.. n so beanieee i could listen to her cute lil voice all day.. is her facial glow natural or she uses some product?

[@nihan.y]

Englisch is my third language. I also am not confident in speaking because of my german accent. In my mind I sound perfect, but reality is different 😅 But the thing is that I don't have much opportunities to speak. I think i just need to get used to it to boost up my confidence. I'm going to travel to Korea this year for over a month, so that will be a opportunity to practice english and korean. I'm excited 🎉👏

[@colleenrodamer9497]

Most Americans can’t speak proper Korean but we r still going to try so from me to u just keep trying to speak English , love the show❤

[@hectort.690]

Yannalee your amazing you make show fun to watch.

[@davidkrall1046]

This was fun and informative…

[@MarikrisseAbieraMin]

I love the concept... of getting confidence in speaking in English. As for me, speaking in English is not a measurement of intelligence. Some people matter pronunciation because it will convey the message differently over the phone, especially in North Americans Corporate world. Some people will not matter the grammar, pronunciation, or accent if they just want to communicate with friends or not in a business setting in North Americans.

[@katherinejimenezmatos2009]

Based on my experience while in Seoul, Koreans do shy away from speaking english outside business/work/school environments. Like when you try to just make conversation with them outside these environments they underestimate their english skills or just say they dont know how to speak that well. As an ESL student, learning english in classroom does not serve to improve your english skills, it sets the base for you to understand what makes the language and how you should use it. Improvement comes when you practice in real life and I did notice Koreans shy away from this. The pronunciation, vocabulary and accent improves when you consistently speak with others who speak that language. I have a friend who studied abroad and he says that in Korea is hard to remain fluent because they dont have environments where they can use it beside some meeting at work. I have another friend whose best friend is singaporean and she says that her english skills is so better because when she talks to him they talk in english. If you want to improve in a language you have to go above and beyond the classroom. Dont shy away because you know little or not enough english, we all start there. Otherwise, your english skills get rusty or fade away. Anna😂 ,I'm on your same boat lol, I can understand basic korean but as soon as we move to like academic or businessy jargon, I have no clue lol

[@liss2503]

I think it is awesome no matter what accent you have that you know more than one language.

[@alperry02]

I dont think it matters how well one speaks english. As an english- speaker traveler, i am so appreciative when someone communicates with me in english , especially if im struggling communicating in the native language of the county im in. For sure people do not care how "perfect" english is. Communicating human to human is most important

[@Steffy.93]

Another great episode. I am trying to learn a couple of languages and I feel very self conscious speaking to someone else in those languages. I don’t want to butcher their language.

[@user-hg8hy1kx4g]

I don't speak perfect eng unlike u guys but as a tck living in kor for more than half of my life here I definitely understand how Koreans react to tcks when we speak English. I have been hurt and traumatized so far and when I became a high schooler I couldn't say anything in eng cause everyone at the school kept making issues about me like I was showing off,,, so many people here hurt others by their inferiority complex

[@nurkamiliailyana]

I am NOT korean and also non native english speaker. I feel relate, here in my country is also the same, some of us get anxious (?) about their pronounciation. A lot of people feel embarrassed about their skill. Been learning english for a very long time, i thing i learn, you are NOT native, it's okay if it's not perfect. Natives don't speak perfect english either despite have good pronounciation. Just speak it even though it sound weird, the more you speak, the more you'll improve. It's okay to make mistakes, all those mistakes actually TEACH you I've been learn korean as well and the experience teach me that i should not be too hard to myself about any languages. It takes time and a lot of efforts. Ignore those negatives people. The only way to be better in ANY languages is to actually practise it. Speak it when you get the chance to speak it

[@TheRealSolidSnake]

Adding to discussion why Koreans struggle with speaking in another language in general: the language is changing the way we think, and there are limitations in every language. So it’s hard for anyone to change from one way of thinking to another. And Korean language is much more different from English or any other latin origin language

[@Sam-ss2lo]

Input learning vs output learning . Input is delivered at 10x output (speaking) . I can read Spanish and Italian but to speak it is big challange

[@esthersim9216]

I’m Korean and moved to the US when I was 7 years old but didn’t keep up with my Korean (reading/writing/speaking). So maybe that’s why I dream in English!! And English is also my preferred language. My Korean is elementary level and I’m 41 years old lol

[@hauki2164]

"I'm a nice person, I don't do stuff like that" 27:55

[@silviehurlimann6257]

I assume its the same with the Japanese people - I went to school with them in France in order to improve my conversation skills in French. There were quiet a lot Japanese students in my class with very good grammar skills but they were to shy to participate in our conversations. We were told that this is a cultural thing. They don’t wanna loose their face. Maybe its kind of similar for Koreans?

[@weebingenshin7485]

waiting for the next video 🤗

[@heyayanda]

This phenomenon of switching between English and konglish called code switching.. all folks who speak a non standard version of English and English switch depending on environments. I suppose because English is fairly recent in Korea, the idea of code switching is also novel.

[@hannah60000]

@12:59, Korea has one the highest English proficiency in Asia. There are more English speakers in Korea than Japan from my experience.

[@jimmy_nguyen]

Fantastic episode, also great to learn soobean is an atiny looks like, saw her dancing to bouncy once David said there's ateez stuff 🤣🫶🏻🫶🏻

[@annagonzales4882]

I just saw this episode 4 months later! You're right, there are so many ways to pronounce English words. I've heard or met Koreans who learned English in the Philippines and I usually can tell that they learned it here. :) Filipinos also make fun of their friends when they switch to an American accent when speaking. It's all in good fun, although can be admittedly annoying. Looking forward to visiting Korea again and try to look for Koreans who won't be scared of speaking in English. I will also do my best to have my scant Korean understood.