Learning a new language: Challenging, heartbreaking, and fun

HAVE you ever found yourself singing along to your favorite K-pop song and wanting to understand it? Or maybe, you have dreamed of studying abroad or landing a job overseas. Learning a new language can make all that—and more—possible.

But doing so sounds scary, at least at first. It feels as if you are alone in the world with fellow speakers miles away from your home. How do you roll R’s to pronounce French words without sounding like an awkward drowning goose? Can you even make the click sound with your tongue to speak the Khoisan languages?

Yet the fruit is so rewarding and ripe for the taking. It is one of the coolest things your brain can achieve, whether you want to watch anime without subtitles, impress your crush with Spanish pick-up lines, or use it to move up your career ladder. A serious learner will stop at nothing with the help of these ideas:

Free resources are abundant

After picking a language you are interested in, through movies, songs, or novels, you may wonder what, where, and how to learn to speak it. Thankfully, you are not the first person in the world who thought of studying another language.

“Maraming resources online na pwede mong gamitin like Duolingo, Memrise, pati Babbel,” Paolo Bagangan, 24, told Republicasia.

Paolo began learning Korean in 2015 after being enchanted by K-pop group Twice’s debut song, Like Ooh-Ahh. “Nagandahan ako, so naging interested na rin ako sa Korean language,” he said.

A graduating political science student, he said that YouTube videos and podcasts that explained grammar rules helped him most to build his foundation in the foreign language.

“Huge help ‘yung pinapanood ko—actually pinapanood ko pa rin until now—kasi na-re-refresh ‘yung utak ko sa Korean. Libre pa,” he said. “Nakakakuha ako ng new vocabulary kahit simple topics lang ‘yung nasa video.”

Paolo added that there are also premium versions to some of these resources for a price, but said that these are optional. He also shared services where an interested learner could talk to native speakers via Zoom for a fee.

“Basta remember to set enjoyable goals so hindi mo ma-fe-feel na pinipilit mo lang [ang] sarili mo. You could talk to yourself for practice, gano’n. Language learning is a long process, and there are new things you will learn every day,” he added.

Becoming a global citizen

Meanwhile, extending language learning to culture appreciation is also why some people become ecstatic when engaging in foreign language studies.

“When I was a kid, my dad gave me Russian dolls—’yung Matryoshka na may maliit, then you could put it inside the next bigger doll until nasa iisang doll na lang silang lahat,” John Mark Pulong, 23, told Republicasia.

Sharing that it made him interested in foreign cultures, especially when the doll’s faces did not portray traditional Filipino features, John Mark said his curiosity brought him to the international studies program in college.

“I went extra and learned Russian. Aside from the usual zdravstvuyte (hello) and spasibo (thank you), I can confidently converse with a Russian toddler. I’m not at that [high] level yet,” he quipped.

Knowing the language also made him more aware and conscious of global issues, especially with Russia’s political state and its invasion of Ukraine, he said.

“I watch government speeches and interviews, and I could understand some words na very concerning. It brings you closer to the issue, kaya sometimes nakakatulong siya sa studies ko,” John Mark said.

He shared that he is also becoming interested in Estonia, especially after its government started transitioning its education system to primarily use the Estonian language and reduce funding for Russian-language schools in response to the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.

“If only people could stop violence and share their cultures instead, I’m sure mababawasan [ang] negativity sa mundo ngayon,” he added.

Languages are marketable

On the other hand, learning another language could also be marketable and profitable for Filipinos in the workforce.

“You could easily earn up to six digits monthly if you speak the right language with the right company and industry,” Rochelle Trajano, 29, shared with Republicasia.

Working in the IT field under a BPO company that caters to Chinese clients, Rochelle said that learning Mandarin was the best decision she made in her career.

“I am by no means an expert speaker, but I could understand enough through listening and reading to do my work,” she said. “I have been studying Mandarin for the past six years now—hindi madali.”

“I nearly gave up with Chinese characters. There are thousands of them and only one of you,” Rochelle said. “Thankfully, I had a great teacher and a supportive family.”

Rochelle revealed she also knows Spanish, which she spoke in her second international job—the first being English.

“Linguistically, [they are] very different. But financially and career-wise, they offer more than what Filipino or English could bring,” she said. “Either way, any language aside from your native tongue will be difficult to learn.”

Rochelle hoped that more Filipinos could discover how language learning could be used to move up their career ladders.

Starting the language journey

Speaking another language is a dream to some Filipinos. Growing up learning Filipino, English, or a mix of both, knowing how to converse in another language is a useful skill in numerous situations.

However, it is not just about memorizing vocabulary or being strict about grammar rules. It is also experiencing connections and opportunities that go beyond simply knowing about the language.

Language learning is a lengthy process full of challenges and heartbreaks. But for the serious and dedicated learner, the fruit of it all is a new perspective on seeing the world through new senses of culture, literature, and even the economy.

With reports from John Lloyd A. Aleta