Lee Hee-chul

By Lee Hee-chul

There is no country like Korea where most students study English very hard and parents spend a great amount of money on education.

When English education became mandatory from the third year at elementary school last year, it created a big change among parents who realized that learning English needs to be started in advance.

However, even though this phenomenon is arousing excessive concerns, it has been estimated that proficiency in English ability here lags behind our international counterparts.

There are three reasons to take into account. First of all, grammar and reading-based tuition causes learners to be weak in speaking and writing. Gaining much knowledge of grammar is considered to be a shortcut to mastering English in their minds.

For example, many students make an effort to memorize vocabulary, yet tend to neglect speaking and listening. Consequently, when they talk in English thinking too much about grammatical order, it sounds artificial and lacking in rhythm.

So does writing. In spite of knowing lots of words, they often fail to combine them into sentences because writing has never been used on a daily basis such as by keeping a diary.

Second, the existing authorized tests are not effective and successful for a correct evaluation. Now, it is very common for young people to take TOEIC or TOEFL and the number of people doing so is rapidly increasing each year.

Nonetheless, it has already been shown that these tests' results don't fully reflect our true linguistic ability. Hence, it is said that more objective English interviews designed by most conglomerates will come into effect regardless of applicants’ scores. This stresses the fact that interviewers consider the power of communicating ideas the most important thing.

Third, most of us have a tendency to regard English as a subject to be studied, not a practical language. I work part-time in a cram school, and one day I asked kids why they learn English. Some replied they looked forward to getting a better grade in a test, and others said they had to do it to satisfy their parents' expectations.

Although we start learning to talk with foreigners and broaden our outlook on the world, most of us are just seeking the secondary benefits like getting a high score, but in fact are afraid to meet native speakers on the street.

Remember that if you are willing to overcome the language barrier, you will be able to talk with a quarter of the people from all over the world.

Learning English should be perceived as a progression toward obtaining another communication tool: This means English is not a difficult or unsolved theory you have to suffer from. Taking a speaking and listening approach could be the fastest method to get used to the language. Now, it is time to transform your previous perception into a new awareness that language is a way of expressing your ideas and feelings through shared interests.

lhc7778@naver.com

Lee Hee-chul is a senior studying English language and literature at Cheju National University on Jeju Island.