Learning a new language is certainly no easy endeavor, as is proven by the sheer number of people who struggle to speak fluently in a foreign language they have learned for years. Despite this difficulty, many continue to strive for fluency in foreign languages, especially English. Gina Yoonjin Park, an English announcer and interpreter, aids those who struggle to learn English through her teaching and educational YouTube content.
Even for Park, starting to learn English was not an easy undertaking.
“I had not begun learning English as early as my peers, so I was not able to do well on tests at first,” Park said. “English was very difficult for me.”
However, the fundamental role that foreign languages play in allowing one to converse with people from all over the world lured Park in, sparking her passion for the English language.
Her yearning for a more in-depth education in English, anthropology, humanity, and world led her to major in English Language & Literature at Ewha Womans University. During her time at Ewha, she was able to learn alongside brilliant peers and under talented professors, revealing to her even more clearly that she had made the right choice. Thorough study of English and English literature allowed Park to learn about history, discourse, and philosophy, which taught her to broaden her perspectives about the world.
“Being able to eloquently articulate myself in English, which is another capability I was able to learn at Ewha, has also helped immensely in my career as an English announcer, teacher, and interpreter,” Park explained.
Currently an English announcer at EBS, a Korean national educational broadcasting system, Park writes news reports for the EBS Evening Special. She also develops content for Miracle English, her own English course on CLASSU, an online lecture platform, and freelances as an interpreter for many notable figures in politics and finance as well as multinational companies such as Samsung and SK. In addition to these many roles, she privately tutors CEOs and celebrities. These various responsibilities challenge Park every day and help her grow as a person.
Park has always been eager for new endeavors. Her zeal for stimulating adventures can once again be found through her experience as an MC at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023 and Consumer Electronics Show. Park presented SK’s various current and future technologies and visions in English to distinguished foreign guests, which not only required English fluency but also a complete understanding of the technologies and products. In order to prepare for the event, Park had attended lengthy workshops at SK headquarters which covered a great deal of information on concepts foreign to her such as 6G, metaverse, and city oil fields. As she was introducing her own country’s technologies, she approached her duties with a strong sense of responsibility.
“In the end, the guests even told me that they thought I was a professional on the topics working at SK, which proved my success,” Park said. “Hearing that made me even prouder of myself and my achievements.”
Park’s own commendable accomplishments, in which was enabled with the help of her English fluency, also inspires her to help others experience the same magic. As she helps her students excel through her teachings, she feels unrivaled happiness. Her goalto provide the best English education to her students has ensued in her understanding of the specific traits being a skillful teacher requires.
“It is a common misconception that great English skills are all it takes to teach English,” Park said. “Communicating your knowledge to your students and helping them improve requires a completely different skill set.”
While a profound understanding of English is indeed necessary, Park emphasized that teaching abilities and creativity are also crucial. Being able to exude confidence in front of large crowds is important as well.
Park firmly believes that there is always something to learn from every moment of life, as long as you approach life with a tenacity to learn. With what she has felt and learned as a foundation, she always motivates her students and helps them grow.
“Many Koreans are afraid of English, especially conversational English, because they have been overly buried in test-oriented English,” Park expressed. “I want to continue to help everyone in South Korea who is worried about their English be able to learn it the correct way and experience positive change through my classes.”