BTS INSPIRED AND HELPED ME TO BE GOOD IN MY KOREAN~


Source: http://en.koreaportal.com/articles/46622/20190208/uc-berkeley-offers-a-two-unit-course-focus-on-bts-bangtan-boys-seatmates-at-the-2019-grammy-awards.htm

 Many people have become a fan of BTS after watching them on TV or youtube but stayed in the fandom because of the quality of music they offer and the message they relay through their songs that make the fans be inspired if not change the world but start it by ending violence and loving ourselves.

 As for me, I stayed because aside from loving their music, I appreciate their love for us, ARMYs, and for being the living example of success through constant hard work despite the many hindrances that test their will and determination to be able to be what they are now, Global sensation, BTS~

They inspired me to continue dreaming until I reach my goals. One of the goals I have right now is to be really good in Korean and pass TOPIK Level 6. It is so difficult for me because I live in the Philippines, where Korean is not used, I work 10hours a day (sometimes 11~12hrs) and I am a nursing mom whenever I am not working plus I have milk pumping sessions in between. Studying really is difficult to squeeze into my schedule.

Usually, my “free time” (when not playing with my daughter), is nursing time, pumping sessions and when baby is sleeping. These are the only times I could use to study. But then, somehow, BTS helps me be inspired to study even if I do not attend any Korean classes anymore and helps me make time to practice my Korean so that my skills would not degrade.
EXACTLY HOW BTS HELPED ME PRACTICE AND MAINTAIN MY KOREAN LANGUAGE SKILLS?

1.) Watch BTS videos without English subtitles

It has been my dream to watch Korean shows without English subtitle and be able to understand 100%. For quite some time, I have been watching kdrama or shows with disabled English subtitles but  I could only understand around 80% of the content. It helped me practice my listening skills but then, I realized that I needed to know the unfamiliar words that had kept me not understand the remaining 20%. So that if I encounter the same word again, I could understand the context next time. That was the time the idea of using Korean subtitles when watching any Korean shows came to me.

A. CONCERT DVD (i.e. BTS MEMORIES OF 2017)
I started it with watching Memories of 2017 last year. I bought the DVD then played it through my computer, enabling the Korean subtitles. The purpose of this is to practice listening, then catch the unfamiliar word while exercising my right of being a fan girl. It is difficult since I really need to pause and playback the part where I did not get the meaning of the context. But I guess it helped me to be patient about studying. It takes a little longer to finish a clip but I was able to practice my listening skills and discover new set of words for my vocabulary bank. Vocabulary has a big role in order to level up my Korean because if I do not know the word and I do not know the context, I cannot keep up in a conversation. 

B.  BTS MENTS DURING CONCERT
Ments (Comments) is my favorite next to the performance itself during a concert. It is because it is the time fans can hear the boys speak up individually and say what they want to say to us. It is the reason why I prefer going to Seoul concert rather than any other stops of the tour (except for of course, Philippines, my country). As a Korean Language learner, I always anticipate this segment because again, I could practice my listening skills. Understanding the boys directly without interpreter also makes me happy. Though I could not understand everything, I have the power of context clues. “Context clues are hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word within a book. The clue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers or it may follow in the next sentence. ”, a definition from wwww.dictionary.com. I usually relate what I heard with the situation and sometimes with feelings. I can guess the meaning even if I do not know the word but it also takes a lot of practice to determine the real meaning of the context. Context clues help me both in listening and in reading.

C. BTS V-LIVE, BANGTAN BOMB, etc. 

I love how our boys share their daily lives through taking videos and share them to us through either youtube or v-live. But most of the time, these videos are raw and have no English subtitles. This is the time when I am forced to practice my listening skills again. It is kind of fulfilling to understand what the boys said even without the English translation so I really put my mind concentrated on every single word the boys are saying. It is really difficult! Especially as Koreans, they really talk so fast! I usually use earphones so I can hear the words properly. I can hear the words more clearly when I use earphones rather than listening or watching it via speakers. Yes, the volume really matters and the background noises also matter to catch every word they say. 

You could watch BTS' 2020 Comeback Special in V-live here:


And their recent BANGTAN BOMB here:

2. Translate BTS-related content 
I started a twitter translator account named @BTS_nunaPH in May 2019. As you can see on my pinned tweet there, I really started this account to practice my Korean since as an Intermediate-Advanced Korean Language learner, it is really difficult to improve further. I really need to exert tremendous effort so I use this twitter account as a venue wherein I could practice my Korean comprehension and Korean translation as well. Through this, I could include Korean Language on my daily life and aside from that, I could also help my co-ARMYs understand the boys and their special contents. So, this is the means I am most active.

For BTS related translated content, you could follow me in twitter: www.twitter.com/BTS_nunaPH


One of my favorite BTS content to translate is the lyrics of their new songs every comeback. Here are few of the songs I translated last year.

Mikrokosmos
Jamais vu

Other contents include interviews which can also be suggested by other ARMYs.

Related content

WATCH:  6th ARMY Membership Kit - What's Inside? [BONUS~ ENG TRANS Photo Ticket and User Guide]
WATCH MORE: BTS 6th TERM ARMY.ZIP (ENG TRANS) - V (Taehyung) INTERVIEW (Scene 1) 

3. Buying BTS books, The Notes, Webtoon (Save Me) 

If you do not know yet, before Internet becomes huge, I was really into books. I used to read a book in a day. And even now, even though I do not have much time to read, I still love books. So when BTS related books came out, I also purchased them. Even though I haven’t read the full book yet, I tried reading it because it helps me discover new words and their meaning. My dictionary became my buddy. I write the new words on a note posted on the book or write them on a separate notebook. By that, I could browse the book again then help me memorize the new words every time I open it.
Aside from the book, I also read their Webtoon, Save Me. Of course it has English translations but since I am studying Korean, I only read the Korean version. Reading the webtoon is much easier than the book. The words are more simple so I really enjoyed reading it. It helps me build my confidence on understanding Korean since in this, I understand almost 100%. But oftentimes I still use the dictionary when needed. 
4. Help my ARMY friends translate or understand Korean texts. 
Since most of my mutuals in twitter know that I know how to read, write and speak Korean, some of them message me if I can help them translate Korean texts to English. Since I also started my twitter translation account, I also receive some requests there. I really want to help my co-ARMYs so I gladly accept these requests. It may take time for me to respond due to my busy schedule but I really do my best to get everything translated accurately. This also became a means of practice for me. And I thank my co-ARMYs for trusting me that I can get the work done correctly.


 5. Inspire me by just merely looking at their picture

I really feel more inspired studying Korean Language whenever I see their faces so I used photocards to be my bookmark while studying. It really helps because the thought of me, meeting them someday always come to mind whenever I see them so it gives me a lot of motivation. Looking at their pictures makes me be more hardworking, makes me strive more to reach my goal in Korean and makes me believe in myself that I can do it!!!!!
A post shared by Gizelle Atienza (@rikakanashi) on


So this entry summarizes the efforts I have done to continuously practice and enhance my Korean Language Skills while fangirling over BTS. It takes really hardwork, patience, determination and time to be able to handle it properly but Thank God! I somehow managed to do it. Up to now, I am still doing these things so I really hoped my TOPIK score for the next exam will improve because as you know, my goal is LEVEL 6~~~~

Level 6, level 6, level 6~~~!!!!

Thank you for reading this entry and have a nice day!

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