Are you learning another language or do you watch shows in a language that is not your own and so have to use subtitles? I do, quite a lot actually. If it’s not anime then it’s kdramas or Korean variety shows. And as you know I am into kpop so I watch v app videos and other videos that Kpop idols make these days (a lot are becoming YouTubers or putting a lot of their content on YouTube, I remember when it was just Vixx and BTS that did that heavily ah… nostalgia).

You get the picture.

It is rare for me to find a video that is not subbed however I still do come across them. If it’s anime then I just have to wait for someone to subtitle it because I’m not there yet with my Japanese. But if it’s Korean content then I try to watch it as I am better at Korean.

One thing I’ve noticed is I notice a lot more about a person when I am not watching the subtitles. I thought I had the multi-tasking down but I was watching an Instagram live of Kai (from Exo) and I realised… yo, his voice is mad deep and he mumbles a lot. Or I’ll be watching other videos and notice mannerisms that I never noticed before. And it’s weird, it’s like I’m seeing them clearly for the first time.

It’s like I spent a lot of time staring at one spot in a painting and then suddenly someone came along and was like, “You are banded from looking at that spot!” and then I was like, “Fine! I guess I’ll look at the rest!” and I see the whole picture for the first time and my mind gets blown.

I never thought watching someone when they spoke was important. I mean, did you?

I thought listening was enough, to get the whole picture but when you actually take the time to look at someone’s face and watch their expressions you notice a lot more about their personality and character. It like you also listen with your eyes.

This might seem obvious but I never thought about it till I watched Korean shows/lives of celebs that I already liked. For example, I’ve liked Exo for a long time, a looong time, so you’d think I know them enough (as much as you can from a fan perspective). But now that I’ve learned Korean to a point where I don’t have to wait for subtitles all the time I’m learning more.

There’s just something about listening to a person and understanding them and seeing their expressions and piecing it all together by yourself for the first time.

It is so much fun and it is honestly one of the reasons I love to learn new languages. I want to be able to communicate with people in the new languages that I am learning comfortably. And when I get to do that, it’s exciting.

I still need a language buddy though, Kai can’t talk to me… *deep sigh*.

Did this make sense?