Language Learning Journal 1: This week, I focused on deepening my Korean proficiency by learning academic jargon related to cognitive science, a discipline closely tied to my studies and future goals. After spending four months in Korea last fall, I developed stronger conversational skills, but I now aim to transition toward technical and academic fluency as all of my classes were taught in English. I began by compiling a glossary of terms such as "인지과학" (cognitive science), "뇌과학" (neuroscience), and "의사결정" (decision-making) from Korean academic articles and my English textbooks. To practice, I incorporated these terms into sentences, and try to translate things I learned in class into Korean (such as slides). These sessions also introduced me to phrases like "실험 결과" (experimental results) and "연구 방법론" (research methodology), which expanded my understanding of how these concepts are used in academic discussions.
Reading abstracts from Korean research journals was another strategy, but it was slow-going due to the density of the text and the frequent need to reference a dictionary––at the more advanced levels, I’ve come to realize reading might be my best friend as I have a framework for most other things. Despite these challenges, I found that creating flashcards and summarizing shorter sections of articles in my own words helped reinforce vocabulary and comprehension. I also revisited videos from my time in Korea, as spending time there was naturally immensely helpful in learning the language both actively and passively. Although learning actively comes with its challenges, learning passively can be difficult as well as I am unconscious of it, so to make an effort to continue my immersion, I’ve committed myself to watching more Korean shows and media. I’m admittedly not the biggest consumer of Korean pop media, however, I’ve enjoyed them more since studying abroad.
I am proud of how far I’ve come since my time abroad, but the leap from conversational fluency to mastering academic language has been daunting. Moving forward, I plan to focus on writing short essays using the vocabulary I’ve learned and breaking down longer texts into smaller, more digestible sections. I also want to improve my listening skills by replaying sections of podcasts to catch details I may have missed. My short-term goal is to learn 10–15 new academic terms weekly and practice them in conversations, while my long-term goal is to write a complete academic essay in Korean by the semester's end. I hope to translate a paper I’ve written from English to Korean, aiming to be able to apply my learnings from disciplinary jargon, as well as become a stronger writer overall in Korean, as similar to English (and what I presume to be all languages), spoken language can have quite the differences between written language. Overall, this week’s work has underscored the importance of balancing patience with persistence as I continue to connect my language studies to my academic passions. When I do get my language partner, I hope to ask them for information on how to sound more natural in certain contexts when I write, or perhaps more academic, and simply match the tone to whatever occasion is required.
Reading abstracts from Korean research journals was another strategy, but it was slow-going due to the density of the text and the frequent need to reference a dictionary––at the more advanced levels, I’ve come to realize reading might be my best friend as I have a framework for most other things. Despite these challenges, I found that creating flashcards and summarizing shorter sections of articles in my own words helped reinforce vocabulary and comprehension. I also revisited videos from my time in Korea, as spending time there was naturally immensely helpful in learning the language both actively and passively. Although learning actively comes with its challenges, learning passively can be difficult as well as I am unconscious of it, so to make an effort to continue my immersion, I’ve committed myself to watching more Korean shows and media. I’m admittedly not the biggest consumer of Korean pop media, however, I’ve enjoyed them more since studying abroad.
I am proud of how far I’ve come since my time abroad, but the leap from conversational fluency to mastering academic language has been daunting. Moving forward, I plan to focus on writing short essays using the vocabulary I’ve learned and breaking down longer texts into smaller, more digestible sections. I also want to improve my listening skills by replaying sections of podcasts to catch details I may have missed. My short-term goal is to learn 10–15 new academic terms weekly and practice them in conversations, while my long-term goal is to write a complete academic essay in Korean by the semester's end. I hope to translate a paper I’ve written from English to Korean, aiming to be able to apply my learnings from disciplinary jargon, as well as become a stronger writer overall in Korean, as similar to English (and what I presume to be all languages), spoken language can have quite the differences between written language. Overall, this week’s work has underscored the importance of balancing patience with persistence as I continue to connect my language studies to my academic passions. When I do get my language partner, I hope to ask them for information on how to sound more natural in certain contexts when I write, or perhaps more academic, and simply match the tone to whatever occasion is required.
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