Although excessive screen time is often frowned upon, language experts say that watching shows in a foreign language – if done with near obsession – can help someone learn that language. Since its Netflix release in September, Korean thriller Squid Game has become an international phenomenon.
We’ve relied on online platforms like Netflix more than ever these last two years, proving that the streaming platform can inspire one to learn a language through entertainment.
italki, the premiere online language platform, can help even the most devout Squid Game enthusiast take their curiosity of Korean culture to the next level with dedicated 1-on-1 lessons. The online platform currently offers 150+ languages taught by teachers from 180 countries.
“In the US we’ve seen a 15% increase in demand for Korean language lessons in the past 3 weeks” says Kevin Chen, founder of italki. Korean is the 6th most studied language in the US on the platform. So far, nearly 30,000 italki teachers have helped 10 million users from 190 or from all over the world countries learn a new language more effectively and efficiently.
“Most of my students have already learned the Korean alphabet, called Hangeul, for themselves before taking their very first lesson. That’s why they understand its structure and how it works pretty much well. There are some who believe all the Asian languages are a lot in common as European languages originated from Latin are, which actually are not true.” says italki Teacher Karen. “I am also a big fan of BTS, one of the biggest Boyband in the world. Also, some of my students are fans of K-Pop stars, Korean actors or actresses. There are a growing number of people who get interested in K-Pop, K-Movie, K-Drama, K-Food, K-Beauty, etc. Sometimes, their interest in Korean culture encourages students to learn Korean continuously”
Apart from grammar, vocabulary, and the technical building blocks of language, learning a language means learning the culture. Learning a language through video chat or italki’s own “italki Classroom” would have offered a private and supportive environment.
“I’ve seen an article about the drama that has earned a critics’ score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and also became the most popular show on Netflix ever. People started making merchandising of the Squid Game Netflix show and I’ve been seeing those all over social media. So yes, I can say I’ve noticed an increase in the popularity of Korean culture.” says italki Community Tutor Gio. “I think people sometimes underestimate the importance of Hangul, which is the Korean alphabet. Memorizing Hangul is inevitable for learning Korean. But it might take more time than you expected. Even if memorizing Hangul takes some time, I hope people know that they have to endure it to move on to the next level.”
If you would like to speak with our teachers Gio and Karen, to get their thoughts on the popularity of Korean Culture as it relates to online learning, please let us know. italki also offers the gift of language through its gift cards throughout the holiday season and beyond: https://www.italki.com/giftcards
About italki
italki is a global language learning community that connects students and teachers for 1-on-1 online language lessons. At italki, we believe that human interaction and cultural sharing are the best way to become fluent in a foreign language. With over 5 million students and 10,000 high-quality teachers teaching more than 130 languages, italki helps everyone with their personal journey to fluency. Learn more at www.italki.com and follow their social channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
